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Bible Lands As They 
Are Today 


by 


JAMES T. NICHOLS 

w 

Author of 


A Journey Through the Bible 
Around the World on a Floating Palace 
Birdseye Views of Far Lands, Etc. 


Second Edition 



Nichols Book & Travel Co.. 
University Place Station 
Des Moines, Iowa 


T)S\o^ 

.Nt 


Copyright 1924 
By JAMES T. NICHOLS 


WT - 6 ^ 

©Cl A808206 





Introductory Word 


Ask the next ten people you meet to tell you what they 
would like to do if they had time and money to spare and 
eight of them will likely tell you they would like to see 
the peoples and countries of the world. Ask these eight 
what countries they would most like to visit and five or 
perhaps six will say, “The Lands of the Bible.” 

Twenty years ago I first visited many of the Bible lands 
and wrote, “Lands of Sacred Story.” The little book was 
soon out of print as only one edition was published. Dur¬ 
ing these twenty years some of these Bible countries have 
been visited several times. But this year (1924) I went 
again to Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece, Italy and other 
countries to see the changes made since the World War. 
I found that tremendous changes are taking place every¬ 
where. The old is giving way to the new on every hand; 
in fact, the Palestine of the Bible will soon be no more 
for everything is being rapidly modernized. 

This book is a glimpse of some of these changes and 
of conditions as they are today. These sketches were 
written hurriedly, many of them while on the ground and 
practically all of them completed before reaching New 
York. The illustrations are from late photographs and 
most of them are also being used in A JOURNEY 
THROUGH THE BIBLE. I am under great obligations to 
those who furnished the pictures, and proper credit is 
given as you will note by names beneath the pictures. It 
is impossible to give proper credit to all who furnished 
facts and suggestions for they were gathered from many 
sources. If the book proves helpful.to those who peruse 
its pages, I will feel amply repaid for many hours of toil. 

The Author. 





TABLE OF CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I A Wonderful Little Country—The World in a Nutshell— 
The Land Proves the Bible—The Old Giving Way to the 
New—The Only Jewish City on Earth—A Concrete 
Highway. 

II Agriculture in Palestine—Christ’s Ministry Among Farmers 
—Land Unchanged for Centuries—The Heartless Tax 
Collector—Nile Flowing Into Palestine—A Striking 
Prophecy Fulfilled . 

III Dawn of the Farmers’ Brighter Day—Palestine Folks Live 

in Villages—A Large Orange Industry—The Three 
Divisions of Palestine—The Plain of Esdraelon—Jews 
Persecuted in Many Lands . 

IV Modern Industries in Palestine—Oil May Revolutionize Pal¬ 

estine—The City of David—Land of Milk and Honey— 
Modern Improvements Everywhere .. 

V Around Lake Galilee—The Winds and Waves Obeyed Jesus 
—The Camels Come and Go—Some Historic Mountains 
—The Ruins of Capernaum—Many Cities in Ruins— 
Guardians of Property—The Home of Fishermen. 

VI The City of Tiberias—The Call to Prayer from Minaret— 
Moonlight on Lake Galilee—Palace and Race Course— 
Tiberias to Nazareth—Wonderful Ruined Cities. 

VII The Home of the Carpenter—Looking Down Upon Nazareth 
—An Industrious Folk—Nazareth Never Destroyed— 
Best People Attend Church—The Workshop of Joseph 
—Great Work of Near East Relief. 

VIII Mount Carmel and Haifa—Historic Places—The Bible Con¬ 
firmed—A Great Industrial City—Dwelling and School- 
house of Elijah—A Comfortable Hotel—Best Harbor in 
Palestine . 

IX Across the Plain of Esdraelon—Where Jesus Raised the 
Dead—A Hospitable Family—The Watch Tower of Jezreel 
—Where Gideon Tested His Army. 

X On Through Samaria—The Hill City of Dothan—A Remark¬ 
able Story—A Natural Fortress—Ivory Palace of Ahab— 
Tomb of John the Baptist—Greatest Ruins in Palestine. . 

XI The Samaritan Synagogue—Help of the Samaritans Re¬ 
fused—Oldest Bible in the World—Moiints of Blessing 
and Cursing—The Well of Jacob—The Tomb of Joseph. . 

XII Going Up to Jerusalem—An Inland Commercial Center— 
Some Historic Incidents—A Lie that Cost a Life—Rob¬ 
bers’ Fountain—A Famous Tower—An Aeroplane Base. . 

XIII On Mount Calvary—The Place of a Skull—Visiting the 

Tomb of Christ—The Bible Story Fits this Tomb—One 
Sacred Place in the Hands of Protestants—Wonderful 
Stone Quaries of Solomon. 

XIV The World’s Most Famous City—Twelve Nations Have 

Owned Jerusalem—A Five-Million-Dollar University— 
Temple Area Covered Thirty-five Acres—An Ancient 
Threshing Floor—The Jews’ Wailing Place. 


PAGES 

10- 14 

15- 21 

22- 28 

29- 34 

35- 44 

45- 50 

51- 58 

59- 64 

65- 70 

71- 76 

77- 82 

82- 90 

91- 98 

99-104 














PAGES 


CHAPTER 

X\ The Church of the Holy Sepulcher—Many So-Called Sacred 
Places—The Wealth of a Kingdom—A Candle Filled 
With Dynamite—Largest Hotel in the World—The Amer¬ 
ican Colony in Jerusalem.105-112 

XVI Interesting Places Around Jerusalem—Oldest Protestant 
Church in Jerusalem—The Upper Room—Lord’s Prayer 
in Many Languages—The Garden of Gethsemane—Absa¬ 
lom’s Pillar—Pool of Siloam.113-118 

XVII Jericho—Dead Sea and the Jordan—Water Supply Cleansed 
—Zaccheus Climbed a Sycamore Tree—Dead Sea Water 
Salty—A World-Famous River—Great Events Recalled.. 119-128 

XVIII Bethlehem and Hebron—An Ancient Highway—The City 
of Bethlehem—Pools of Solomon—Many Notables Called 
Hebron Home—Pool of Hebron.129-136 

XIX The Lure of Egypt—Beggars and Flies—The City of the 
Sun—The Sphinx and Pyramids—A Multitude of Toilers 
—A Valuable Art Lost—Into the Center of the Pyramid— 

A White-Walled City.137-150 

XX Luxor, Karnak, Thebes, and King Tut’s Tomb—A Wonder¬ 
ful Temple—The Singing Statue—King Tut’s Tomb—A 
Hunt of Fourteen Years—Armed Guards at Entrance of 
Tomb .151-160 

XXI Beyrout, Sidon and the Lebanon Mountains—The Harvard 
of the Near East—Moslem Students on a Strike—Inscrip¬ 
tions Made By Many Conquerors—The Industrious Ar¬ 
menians—The Sidon Near East Orphanage—A Marvelous 


Work .161-170 

XXII Baalbek, the Baal of the Bible—Many Acres of Stupendous 
Ruins—Largest Stone Ever Quarried—A Moses Among 
His People .171-178 

XXIII The World’s Oldest City—The Rivers of Damascus—The 

Street Called Straight—Man Can Only Enter Paradise 
Once—The Fanatical Mohammedans—Made Mosque of 
Christian Church—Interesting Services on Sunday.179-188 

XXIV Athens, the Religious City of Bible Times—In the Midst of 

a Revolution—An Amusing Experience—The World-Fa¬ 
mous Stadium—An Old Greek Theater—Climbing Upon 
Mars’ Hill—The Wonderful Parthenon.189-198 


XXV Rome, the Eternal City—Meaning of the Forum—The Golden 
Milestone—The City on Seven Hills—A Striking Historic 
Incident—The Temple of Agriculture—The Arch of Titus 
—The Colosseum—The Great Gladiatorial Contests— A 
Noble Sacrifice .199-208 













Photos by M. G. Geil. 

Upper—Ships op the desert in Bible Lands. 

Lower—The author following the plow. 


MHMH 

















CHAPTER I 


A Wonderful Little Country 
O PART of any country so charms the human 



-L ^ heart as does the little country we call Pales¬ 
tine. It is the land whose hills and valleys were 
trodden by the feet of Him who wore the crown of 
thorns. The most sacred memories of the human 
heart cluster about the manger-cradle at Bethle¬ 
hem, and Mount Calvary at Jerusalem. 

To Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this land was the 
land of promise. To Joseph, it was a more fitting 
and sacred receptacle for his body than the might¬ 
iest pyramid in Egypt. To Moses and the nation he 
led from bondage, it was the land that flowed with 
milk and honey—fhe home of the redeemed. 

To David and Solomon, this land was the spot 
upon which to erect the structure which was to be 
the meeting place between God and man. To the 
exiles in Babylon, this land was their hope by day 
and their dream by night, and their longing to re¬ 
turn to it was so great that it drove the music from 
their hearts and through their tears they chanted, 
“If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand 
forget her cunning. Let my tongue cleave to the 
roof of my mouth if I remember thee not.” 

Egypt, Greece, Rome* and Great Britain are all 
small countries with great histories, and while this 
land is much smaller than either, it has a greater 
' history than all of these countries combined.' I 


10 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

rode nearly the length of it in a day in an automo¬ 
bile, and you could get into an aeroplane and fly 
all over it in a couple of hours. 

The World In a Nutshell 

All Palestine is only about as large as twelve 
Iowa counties. From Dan to Beersheba is only a 
little farther than from Des Moines to Council 
Bluffs, or New York to Buffalo. Yet this little land 
is a universal land—the world in a nutshell, as 
some one has tritely put it. 

Between snow-capped Mount Hermon on the 
north, which is ten thousand feet above the sea, and 
the torrid basin of the Dead Sea on the south, which 
is thirteen hundred feet below the sea, are found 
all the zones and climates on the earth. 

In this land the geologist finds all the rock forma¬ 
tions and geological ages, the botanist finds most 
of the plants and trees, the zoologist finds nearly 
all of the animals, birds and fishes that are found 
on land and sea. At least, anything that will live 
and grow any place on earth will live and grow 
in Palestine. 

The Land Proves the Bible 

Without this land the Bible could not have been 
written, hence the land proves the Book. The Bible 
also proves the land, for it describes most minutely 
the entire country and there is not an incorrect 
statement of the geography or topography of the 
land in the entire Bible. 

Although mountainous and full of rocks, the soil 
of Palestine is very fertile. No artificial fertilizer 
is needed. In most places small, soft limestones are 
formed everywhere, and when the rains come 


Wonderful Changes in Twenty Years 11 

this lime is dissolved and mixes with the soil just at 
the time when the plowing and planting are done. 

The Jews of old were an agricultural people and 
practically lived from the soil. Their manner of 
farming was altogether different from our western 
methods, and to understand the Bible we must 
know the methods and customs of the East, for the 
Bible is an Eastern Book. Reverend Samuel Schor, 
who was born in Jerusalem, has written a little 
book, called “Palestine and the Bible,” which is 
very enlightening and from this I am quoting freely 
when it comes to agriculture and the manners and 
customs of the East. 

I was over nearly all of Palestine twenty years 
ago and have just returned from a recent visit. 
Some things in these chapters were written and 
published years ago, but much of the material in 
these chapters was written “on the spot” but a few 
weeks ago and I am simply rewriting it in a con¬ 
nected story. 

The Old Giving Way to the New 

The above is mentioned to call attention to the 
fact that tremendous changes are now taking place. 
Palestine is being rapidly modernized; manners 
and customs are changing—the old is giving way to 
the new. 

A wonderful system of highways has been built 
and the donkey and camel are giving way to the 
motor car and truck. Soon the primitive plough, 
like that which was used by Abraham and Job and 
which a man could easily carry to the field on his 
back, will give way to the John Deere and Moline. 

The hand sickle is being replaced by the modern 
mowing machine and self-binder and the steam 











A Strictly Jewish City 


13 


thresher is taking the place of the old threshing- 
floor. Hence, it will soon be harder than ever to 
understand the meaning of many of the expres¬ 
sions in the Bible. 

One thing that is bringing about so many rapid 
changes is the fact that Jewish settlements are be¬ 
ing established all over Palestine. British occupa¬ 
tion since the war is ushering in a new day for the 
Jew. There are some eighty of these Jewish set¬ 
tlements already established and they have more 
than eighteen thousand people in them. While 
most of them are small, yet some of them are al¬ 
ready assuming large proportions. I am going to 
describe briefly the largest and most successful of 
these. 


The Only Jewish City on Earth 

The name of this modern little Jewish city is Tel 
Aviv. It is located not far from Jaffa, which is in 
southwestern Palestine on the Mediterranean Sea. 
In 1909, the location was nothing but sand dunes. 
Until the war came on it did not look as if anything 
would come from it. 

But today Tel Aviv is a strictly modern city of 
fifteen thousand people, holding private property 
valued at ten million dollars. It has municipal 
property worth two hundred fifty thousand dol¬ 
lars. Its people live in twelve hundred homes, 
everyone of which is connected with the city water 
supply. The city has its own schools and its own 
hospital. It also had its own electric plant until 
the Jaffa Electric Company created a great power 
station near. 

Tel Aviv is really the first Jewish city since the 
days of the Romans. The population is practically 
all Jewish. The mayor and his counsellors, the 


14 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


police inspector and his force of forty-four men, 
the street cleaners, the porters and even the boot¬ 
blacks—all are Jews. 

While Tel Aviv is the residential district where 
the Jewish business men of Jaffa have their homes, 
it is also becoming a commercial and industrial 
city. It has tanneries, oil presses, carpenter shops, 
a brick factory, furniture factories, floor tile works, 
a chocolate and candy factory and other industries. 

A Concrete Highway 

On the seashore not far distant is a modern bath¬ 
ing establishment and a large restaurant known as 
the Casino. The first concrete road ever built on 
the eastern shores of the Mediterranean was the 
road that connects this resort with the center of the 
town of Tel Aviv. 

While this little city has factories, yet many of its 
inhabitants get their living from the soil, and the 
fruit orchards, grain fields and vegetable gardens 
all around are a sight to behold. 


CHAPTER II 


Agriculture in Palestine 

A S ALREADY indicated, the Palestine of the 
Bible was the land of the farmer, as Frank G. 
Carpenter suggests in his new book “The Holy 
Land and Syria.” Abraham was a farmer and 
stock raiser; so were Isaac and Jacob; Job was the 
cattle king of his day. He had seven thousand 
sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of 
oxen and five hundred she asses for breeding pur¬ 
poses. 

Lot was one of the wealthy farmers of the Jordan 
valley before he moved to Sodom. Kish was a 
farmer when he sent his son Saul to find the stock 
that had strayed away. This young man went out 
to find his father’s asses, but instead found a king¬ 
dom. Boaz was a farmer and it was in his wheat 
field that Ruth gleaned. She was not only success¬ 
ful in gleaning, but her charms won the love and 
heart of the owner of the farm and she afterwards 
became the mistress of the farm, and through her 
descendants came the Saviour of the world! Jesse 
was a farmer and David, his youngest son, took 
care of the sheep and learned to throw stones with 
his sling as straight as a bullet flies. 

This skill, attained by continual practice, made 
the shepherd boy the hero of the army when he 
killed the giant Goliath. No wonder the women 
sang his praises and fell in love with him. Elisha 
was plowing when called to be the follower and 
successor of Elijah. Bethlehem, the birthplace of 



Photos by M. O. Geil and H. C. Heckerman. 

In the ruins of the Synagogue at Capernaum. 

Our company in Palestine. 






















Jesus Among Farmers 


17 


the Redeemer, was a farm village and the Saviour 
was born in a cattle shed. He grew to manhood in 
Nazareth, another farm village. 

Christ's Ministry Among Farmers 

The ministry of Jesus was largely among farm¬ 
ers and herdsmen and nearly all of his illustra¬ 
tions and parables have to do with the soil. To 
understand His teachings it is absolutely necessary 
to know something of the Eastern farmer’s life. 

Visiting Palestine today, one sees many things in 
farm life that Jesus talked about that our farmers 
know nothing about. Only the other week I saw 
women at work in a Palestine wheat field just be¬ 
fore harvest time. Asking my guide what they 
were doing he replied, “They are pulling out the 
tares.” 

On looking into the matter, I discovered that if 
the seeds of tares were left in the wheat the flour 
would make bitter bread. At once I began to really 
understand the parable of the tares that Jesus used 
so forcefully in one of His sermons. 

In the days of Jesus, oxen only were used to plow. 
Horses for farm work have only recently been 
brought into Palestine by the Zionists who are now 
rapidly settling up the country. In the old days a 
plow had but one handle. While the farmer had 
hold of the plow with one hand he held in the other 
hand a pole six or eight feet long in the end of 
which was a sharp nail. This was called a “goad” 
with which he prodded the animal. 

Land Unchanged for Centuries 

It seems almost a miracle that the Lord allowed 
the Land of Palestine, and its people as well, to re- 


18 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


main unchanged through all the centuries until 
travelers from every other land on earth had a 
chance to see the customs and methods that were 
in use in the days of the Saviour. 

Until very recently, Palestine remained practi¬ 
cally unchanged. The life of the people was ex¬ 
actly the life of Bible times. The visitor could see 
the manners and customs of Abraham and David, 
as well as those of the times when Jesus lived 
among men. 

Perhaps, after all, there was a good reason why 
the Turk was allowed to have such a hold upon Pal¬ 
estine until the “fullness of time.” A thousand 
years is but a day with the Lord. While the Mo¬ 
hammedan was a curse to the Palestine farmer, 
perhaps it was the best way to preserve the Bible 
manners and customs until they were well known 
throughout Christendom. 

The Heartless Tax Collector 

The Turkish assessor and tax gatherer was the 
curse of the Palestine farmer all the years. These 
unscrupulous officers squeezed all the ambition 
from the tiller of the soil. They went over the 
olive orchards while the trees were in bloom and 
levied the tax for the season. If the crop failed, 
the farmer oftentimes was compelled to cut down 
the trees and sell them for wood. 

Conditions were the same if a man raised wheat. 
Selling to the highest bidder, the right to collect the 
taxes in a given district was the curse of the farmer 
in the time of Christ, and it has remained so all 
these hundreds of years. These men had no mercy 
on the farmer. He was always watched by the tax 
gatherer or his agent, and never less than one- 
eighth of the crop was taken for taxes. 



Photos by Dr. Sunkle and M. G. Geil. 


Traveling by the camel express. 

A SCENE NEAR OLD SAMARIA. 














20 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


In addition to these heavy farm taxes, there was 
a head tax which amounted to about two dollars 
of our money for every man and boy. This often 
meant a large sum to the poor man, but it had to be 
paid just the same. Then there was a tax on nearly 
everything the farmer used for any purpose what¬ 
ever. 


Nile Flowing Into Palestine 

Before the late war, the Arabs had a saying that 
the Turk would rule the Holy Land until the waters 
of the river Nile flowed into Palestine. Of course, 
this was another way of saying that he would rule 
it forever, for they actually thought that no nation 
or combination of nations could make the Turk 
loosen his hold, especially as he was an ally of the 
Kaiser. 

This ancient saying has literally been fulfilled. 
When General Allenby led the British army from 
Egypt into Palestine, water must be had for both 
man and beast. Not only was a railroad built 
across the desert, as the army moved toward Jeru¬ 
salem, but a pipe-line carrying water from the Nile 
was also laid and when Jerusalem was taken the 
waters of the river Nile actually flowed into the 
Holy Land. 

A Striking Prophecy Fulfilled 

In connection with this, another very interesting 
thing happened. Many Bible scholars interpret a 
prophecy to mean that when Jerusalem was taken 
from the Turk not a shot would be fired at the city. 
This prophecy is Isaiah 31:5 which reads, “As birds 
flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; 
defending also he will deliver it; and passing over 


Jerusalem Surrendered to General Allenby 


21 


he will preserve it.” When the British army ap¬ 
proached the city General Allenby wired the Prime 
Minister of England asking, “Shall I bombard Jeru¬ 
salem?” 

The answer to this wire came quickly from Lon¬ 
don, “You are on the ground; do as you think best.” 
General Allenby was not yet satisfied and sent a 
message to the King of England asking, “Shall I 
bombard Jerusalem?” The answer came back 
very soon, “Make it a matter of prayer.” 

The British General then took his staff apart and 
they got down upon their knees and prayed. Just 
as they arose, a messenger was seen coming. As 
he came nearer, they noted that he had a flag of 
truce. It was the man surrendering the Holy City 
to the British General. Later in the day General 
Allenby walked unarmed through the gate into the 
city as a deliverer, as the prophet had predicted 
nearly a thousand years before. 



Methods of transportation 


Photos by Henry Wiederhold. 

in Palestine. 










CHAPTER III 


Dawn of the Farmer's Brighter Day 

TN THIS chapter I want to tell of the farmer’s 
new day in the Holy Land. Many believe that 
according to prophecy the Jews will return to Pal¬ 
estine and not only restore the soil to its old-time 
fertility, but make it a home for the Jewish race. 
Whether this is according to prophecy or not, it 
seems that this dream is fast becoming a reality. 

In another chapter, the Jewish city of Tel Aviv is 
briefly described. This is not strictly agricultural, 
although many of the people in this little city live 
from the soil. Tel Aviv is an exception to the gen¬ 
eral rule. These Jewish colonies date back as far 
as 1882. In that year seventeen Russian Jewish 
immigrants settled on the sandy desert southeast 
of Jaffa. 

This settlement was named Rishon-de-Zion, 
which means “The First in Zion.” It was really 
founded by the Rothschilds and it was to give Rus¬ 
sian Jews a refuge or home. Now, it is a flourishing 
agricultural colony. The chief product of this col¬ 
ony is wine, as they have planted hundreds of acres 
in vineyards. It is said that the wine cellars of 
Rishon are the third largest in the world. 

This is not only the product, however, for Rishon 
has hundreds of acres in oranges, almonds, and 
other fruits. All kinds of vegetables are also pro¬ 
duced. The village contains about twelve hundred 
people. They live in substanital stone houses, have 


24 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

a Jewish synagogue, schools, public gardens, post 
office and telephone office. 

Palestine Folks Live in Villages 

All people in Palestine live in villages. No 
farmer lives apart from others. It would not be 
safe in the first place, and then the Eastern idea is 
for many to live together. There are several other 
Jewish colonies in the Jaffa district. 

In this part of Judea, I saw large wheat fields and 
self-binders at work, for it was harvest time when 
I visited the country. There were fields of com 
which was about waist high. All kinds of fruit 
and vegetables were to be seen on every hand. 

Tobacco is also cultivated in this part of the 
country. Many acres were in cucumbers and mel¬ 
ons, and hundreds of camels, cattle, sheep, and 
goats were grazing contentedly in the pastures. I 
learned that goats are more delicate than sheep. 
Damp, cold weather will often kill goats and leave 
sheep unharmed. 

A Large Orange Industry 

Before leaving this Jaffa district, it will be worth 
while to call attention to the orange trade. Jaffa 
oranges are known the world around as the sweet¬ 
est and juciest that grow. The trade is increasing 
rapidly. During the war it received a setback, of 
course, but has now become almost as large as be¬ 
fore the war. In the year 1913-1914 the reports 
show that one million, six hundred eight thousand, 
five hundred seventy boxes of oranges were ex¬ 
ported and they brought one million, five hundred 
thousand dollars. During the season of 1922-1923, 
one million, four hundred sixty-four thousand, five 


Jewish Cooperative Society 


25 


hundred eighty-eight boxes were exported and they 
brought one million, seven hundred fifty thousand 
dollars. 

The orange season in Jaffa lasts from November 
until the end of April. The trees have to be irri¬ 
gated and take a* lot of water. While some of the 
old-fashioned water wheels turned by blind-folded 
cattle or camels are still used, yet these Jewish set¬ 
tlements are introducing modern machinery and 
motor engines. In this district about seventy-five 
hundred acres are in orange groves. 

These Jewish and other orange growers of the 
Jaffa district have formed the Co-operative Society 
of Orange Growers. The society controls about 
one-fifth of the orange groves in the district, and it 
buys for its members all the oil and fertilizer used, 
as well as all the raw materials for making boxes, 
packing, etc. England and Egypt purchase the 
bulk of oranges exported from Jaffa. 

The Three Divisions of Palestine 

Palestine is divided into three divisions, viz.: 
Judea in the south, Galilee in the north, and Sa¬ 
maria between the two. The Jaffa district is in 
Judea but there are many Jewish colonies in both 
Galilee and Samaria. 

One of the oldest colonies in Galilee is not far 
from the Sea of Galilee. It is at the foot of the hill 
upon which the town of Safed is located. This is 
the little city to which Jesus referred when he said, 
“A city set upon a hill cannot be hid.” Go where 
you will around northeastern Galilee, you can 
hardly look up without seeing Safed. 

Forty years ago this colony was founded, its 
name signifying “Cornerstone.” Cereal cultivation 
and dairy farming are the main occupations of the 


26 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


colony although almonds, oranges, and grapes are 
produced. Quite recently tobacco growing was in¬ 
troduced, it being found that this soil and climate 
produces a leaf of the highest quality. 

The Plain of Esdraelon 

One of the greatest Jewish colonies I saw in Gali¬ 
lee was on the great Plain of Esdraelon. Twenty 
years ago I do not remember to have seen a field of 
anything growing on this great plain, but today it 
is a regular beehive of industry. The various col¬ 
onies on this plain have in them sixteen hundred 
people—all farmers—and they farm eighteen thou¬ 
sand five hundred acres of ground. 

I visited the historic springs called The Fountain 
of Harod, mentioned in the seventh chapter of 
Judges. Here Gideon tested his great army and all 
but three hundred failed in the final test. Near 
this was a marsh covering four thousand acres 
which was a source of malaria for the whole dis¬ 
trict, largely caused by these springs. Now all this 
surplus water is pumped to different points and 
used for both drinking purposes and irrigation and 
the land is reclaimed. 

Near the city of Haifa I saw a newly-established 
colony of about one hundred families, who are in¬ 
troducing modern machinery, tilling the soil and 
setting out large almond orchards. I was told that 
the almond tree grows faster and is more hardy 
than any other tree and they are setting out almond 
trees and grafting others upon them. 

Jews Persecuted in Many Lands ‘ 

Two thousand years ago the land was taken from 
the Jews, and as they have been persecuted nearly 



Photo by Henry Wiederhold. 

Women of Palestine with water jars on their heads. 











28 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


everywhere and knocked from pillar to post, often 
not been allowed to own land, they have gotten 
away from agriculture. But they are coming back 
to their first love. 

The Mohammedans and Arabs are against them 
and are trying to keep them out, but the British are 
trying to give them a square deal in Palestine. They 
are reclaiming land from swamp and sand; they 
are making gardens and orchards where nothing 
grew before they came; they are coming with mod¬ 
ern methods and machinery into the Holy Land 
and are ushering in a new and brighter day for the 
farmers. This land upon which three-quarters of 
a million people have simply existed can be made 
to support from three to five million people, and 
the Jew will make it do so if he is allowed to have a 
chance. All hail British rule! 


CHAPTER IV 


Modern Industries in Palestine 

T>EFORE the war, the industries of Palestine 
amounted to but little. Outside of the most 
primitive agriculture and small production of fruit, 
wine, olive oil, and soap, and raising a few sheep 
and goats there was nothing. There was never a 
day that hundreds of people were not half starved 
and half the people never had a full meal. 

Besides agriculture, which has already been 
briefly described, there are now other industries 
that are worthy of notice in this sacred land. In 
Haifa, I saw a new, up-to-date flour mill with every 
modern contrivance and a possible output of fifty 
tons of flour per day. In the same city, a large fac¬ 
tory for the production of various oils is being built 
and the company has a capital of more than a half 
million dollars. 

In Nablus and Jaffa the soap industry is booming, 
and in 1922 Egypt alone bought two thousand, four 
hundred eighty-nine tons of Palestine soap. It is 
produced mostly from olive oil. A Portland ce¬ 
ment factory is soon to be erected in Haifa, and the 
company has an authorized capital of a million dol¬ 
lars. The possible output of the brick factory in 
Tel Aviv is fifteen million bricks annually. 

Oil May Revolutionize Palestine 

The mineral resources of the Dead Sea and Jor¬ 
dan Valley are well known and two companies are 



o 

£ 

fC 

© 

HO 

o 














Palestine Salt Company 


31 


now working on the oil proposition and it is pos¬ 
sible that this one industry will revolutionize the 
whole country. At any rate, there are in the vicin¬ 
ity large deposits of rock phosphate, bituminous 
limestone, rock salt, sulphur and gypsum, to say 
nothing of other minerals. 

The Palestine Salt Company was formed in 
1921, with a capital of two hundred thousand dol¬ 
lars, for the production of salt from the waters of 
the Mediterranean Sea by solar evaporation. Two 
thousand years ago the Romans carried on the in¬ 
dustry of salt production at the very spot where this 
company is at work. The site is full of historic in¬ 
terest, as here used to be both the Phoenician and 
Roman encampments. 

There are natural basins specially adapted for 
the production of salt. It took all of last year to 
complete the works which are now producing salt 
and the possible output is fifty thousand tons annu¬ 
ally. Modern machinery, including grinding mills, 
all up to date, is in use. A railroad has been built 
connecting the plant with the Haifa-Egypt line. 

This particular place was one of the most un¬ 
healthy spots in Palestine, but with great drainage 
and sanitation systems installed by this company, 
the benefits will reach over a broad area. I also 
saw the salt works at the Dead Sea, but did not 
learn either the extent or success of the enterprise. 

The City of David 

For many years Bethlehem has been noted for 
its small mother-of-pearl industry, but since the 
war the manufacture of souvenirs from mother-of- 
pearl and olivewood has become quite a large in¬ 
dustry. I had a glimpse of the glass and pottery 
industries at Hebron, which date back to pre-Ro- 


32 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


man times, and while both are small and primitive, 
yet there are quite large possibilities in them. 

The tanning industry has been carried on in the 
old primitive way for more than two thousand 
years. When Peter was sent for at Joppa by the 
centurion the messenger was told that he was stop¬ 
ping at the home of Simon the tanner. Steps are 
being taken to not only enlarge this industry, but 
introduce at least some modern methods. 

Since the war, numerous industries have sprung 
up such as a chocolate and sweet factory, furniture 
and ice factories, textile factories, engineering 
workshops and printing presses. While these are 
not very large as yet, in them is seen the modern 
trend of affairs. 

In the weaving industry, which has been carried 
on in a primitive way for ages, the fly-shuttle has 
only since the war been introduced and the desire 
for improvement will certainly bring about great 
changes. 

Land of Milk and Honey 

Palestine used to be spoken of as the land of milk 
and honey, but only since the war has either dairy¬ 
ing or bee-keeping been engaged in to any extent. 
More than two thousand varieties of flowers grow 
in this little country, and the honey industry will 
undoubtedly be greatly developed within the next 
few years. 

The automobile has also brought an entirely new 
industry into this land, and I was especially inter¬ 
ested in this in the city of Nazareth. It is really 
striking how this has put new life into many of the 
young men. 

The fishing industry in Palestine is thousands of 
years old. Peter and Andrew, James and John, the 


Fish in the Sea of Galilee 


33 


four disciples whom Jesus called, came from the 
ranks of the fishermen at the Sea of Galilee. This 
body of water is alive with the best of fish today. 

My first meal in Tiberias was almost wholly of 
fish that had been swimming in the sea but a few 
hours before, and it was the best meal I had in Pal¬ 
estine. It is said that a couple of years ago a 
single party took five tons of fish from this little 
body of water in one day, and this so glutted the 
market that a six-pound fish brought only a penny. 
Now that the railroad touches this sea and on the 
line are cities like Damascus, Haifa, Jerusalem and 
Cairo, anyone can see the future possibilities of 
this industry. 

Modern Improvements Everywhere 

By the way, I rode from Damascus to the Sea of 
Galilee and from Jerusalem to Cairo on well- 
equipped trains with dining cars and all such. One 
can leave Cairo in the evening in a sleeping car as 
comfortable as can be found in America, have 
breakfast the next morning in the well-equipped 
diner and get to Jerusalem long before noon. 

When I heard that a plan is now on foot to har¬ 
ness the water power of the River Jordan for irriga¬ 
tion purposes and furnish electric light and power 
for the whole country, I was surprised; but while in 
Jerusalem I was told by a man who ought to know, 
that engineers are at work on a plan to actually 
raise the waters of the Sea of Galilee for irrigation 
purposes. One of the engineers was at the hotel at 
which I stopped, but I did not know it until he had 
gone to Galilee. Surely things are happening in 
Palestine these days and all this is but the begin¬ 
ning of some mighty forward strides. 



Photos by John'H. Hauberg. 

Fisherman casting his net into the sea. 

Plowing in Palestine. - 

Watering camels in the Sea op Galilee. 











CHAPTER V 


Around Lake Galilee 

O NE of the greatest days I lived in Palestine was 
at the Sea of Galilee. This little body of 
water was the scene of some of the greatest works 
of our Lord. Here the crowds gathered in such 
numbers that He often had to get into a boat and 
push out into the sea in order that He might have 
room to speak to or to teach them. 

Twenty of the thirty-seven recorded miracles 
were wrought at or around this little lake. It was 
here that Peter was told to take his hook and cast 
it into the sea and in the mouth of the first fish he 
caught he would find a piece of money worth 
enough to pay the taxes of himself and the Master. 

It was here that the disciples, after fishing all 
night and catching nothing, let down the net again 
at His word and the result was the miraculous 
draught of fishes. It was just yonder that the de¬ 
mons went into the swine and they rushed down to 
their death into the water. Over yonder a little 
way Jesus fed the multitude of five thousand men, 
besides women and children, from five small loaves 
and two little fishes and twelve baskets full of frag¬ 
ments were gathered up, that nothing be lost. 

The Winds and Waves Obeyed Jesus 

Here it was that the storm arose that frightened 
the men who were raised on the sea and when He 
said, “Peace, be still,” the wind stopped blowing 
and the waves stopped rolling and the water be- 


36 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

came smooth as a floor. Is it any wonder that the 
disciples looked at each other in blank astonish¬ 
ment and said, “What manner of man is this that 
the wind and the sea obey him!” 

On this water He walked in the morning dawn 
and when Peter was told to “come,” while he kept 
his eye upon Jesus, he walked without danger, but 
the moment he looked down at the water he began 
to sink. 

This wonderful body of water is something like 
the shape of a pear, and but thirteen miles long and 
half as wide. It is six hundred eighty-two feet be¬ 
low the level of the Mediterranean, a half hundred 
miles away, surrounded by hills and mountains. 
The Jordan comes in through a canyon at the north 
and leaves by another at the south. Violent winds 
often come rushing down from the north and in a 
few moments’ time the waters are seething and 
foaming like a mighty whirlpool. 

The Camels Come and Go 

The railroad from Damascus runs almost due 
south for a hundred miles across Trans-Jordania, 
and then almost due west for twenty-five or thirty 
miles to the extreme southern tip of Lake Galilee. 
Much of the country is wild, stony and unproduc¬ 
tive. The people also are wild and turbulent, and 
every time the train stopped, armed guards paced 
up and down the track on either side of the train. 
The wild Bedouins are all Moslems and resent the 
coming of western civilization. 

Great camel trains crossing the country are con¬ 
tinually in sight. For thousands of years the camel 
has been the freight car of this country. At several 
points herds of camels and sheep were grazing in 



Photos by John H. Hauberg. 

On the Sea of Galilee. 

Lower edge of the Sea of Galilee. 

The Upper Jordan. 













38 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


the fields. On one occasion a herd of camels was 
crossing the track and the engine struck one of 
them. I happened to be looking out of the window 
at the time and saw the great beast roll over and 
over down the grade. The head was entirely sev¬ 
ered from the body. 

The engineer was blowing the whistle continu¬ 
ally and the camel herder made every possible ef¬ 
fort to save the beast, but failed. Camels sell for 
from seventy-five to two hundred and fifty dollars. 
They can be worked when they are three years old 
and many of them live thirty years. 

Some Historic Mountains 

All day long old Mount Hermon was in sight, its 
snowy cap glistening in the sunlight. The moun¬ 
tains of Lebanon could also be seen. Cesarea 
Philippi where Jesus asked His disciples “Whom 
do men say that I am?” could also be seen part of 
the time. It is only a few miles south of Mount Her¬ 
mon and three miles from Dan, which is the ex¬ 
treme northern point of Palestine. 

Coming down into the great basin where Lake 
Galilee is located there is some wonderful scenery. 
There are some very deep caverns and picturesque 
waterfalls. Often at the bottom of these canyons 
some of the soil is tilled and in little villages people 
have gardens. Wild flowers that are very gorgeous 
and beautiful grow in great abundance. 

The little town at the southern tip of the lake is 
called Samakh. It contains a few hundred people. 
What a wonderful day I spent on Lake Galilee! 
The sun was hot but the weather was ideal. While 
there are many small boats of fishermen, there is 
one quite large steam launch. Nearly a hundred 


Jesus Made Capernaum His Home 


39 


people can be crowded upon it and then there are 
generally small boats drawn behind by ropes. 

The Ruins of Capernaum 

One of the most interesting places to me was the 
site of old Capernaum. In the days of Jesus, there 
were half a dozen quite large cities located on the 
west and north coasts. The fishing and other in¬ 
dustries were then at their height. 

When rejected at Nazareth, Jesus made His home 
at Capernaum. Here many of the recorded mir¬ 
acles were performed. One of the first was the 
healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, who was down 
with a fever. Here lived the nobleman whose son 
was dying when he hurried to Jesus and said, “Sir, 
come down ere my child die.” Jesus said, “Go 
thy way, for the child liveth,” and it was cured at 
that very hour. 

Here at Capernaum, He opened the eyes of blind 
men; unstopped the ears of the deaf; healed de¬ 
moniacs and raised Jarius’ daughter from the 
dead; it was here that the paralytic was let down 
through the roof and where the centurion’s servant 
was healed. Jesus is said to have marvelled 
twice—once at the Jews’ unbelief and once at the 
Gentiles’ faith. 

Many Cities in Ruins 

Woes were pronounced upon many of the cities 
around the lake and everyone of them is in ruins 
today. Chorazin, Magdala and Rethsaida were in 
the list—they are gone. “And thou, Capernaum, 
which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought 
down to hell.” I am giving you a glimpse of the 
ruins of these cities, and especially the ruins of the 



Photos by John H. Hauberg. 

Scene near Capernaum. 

Natives at Ruins of Capernaum. 

A GROUP OF NEAR EAST RELIEF BOYS. 










Ruins Still Unexplored 41 

s y na g°g u e in Capernaum, as I walked through 
them. 

This building was on the seashore. It was a 
magnificent building more than seventy feet long 
and about fifty-five feet wide. Some of the marble 
pillars are three feet in diameter and the finish and 
carving upon them is wonderful. 

Only a very small part of the ruins of Capernaum 
have been explored as yet. The only inhabitants of 
the place are a Franciscan monk, called Father 
Wendelin, and a lot of wild Bedouins. This monk 
has been there for many years. I first supposed 
that he was a missionary, but not so; he is simply 
the guardian of the property which belongs to the 
Roman Catholic church. He will not allow any¬ 
thing taken away. A thousand acres or more of 
ruins are there and when they are explored, no 
doubt, new light will be thrown upon many things 
that we now do not understand. 

I am told that practically all this property used 
to belong to the Greek Orthodox church, but years 
ago when the Moslems were taking everything, the 
head of the Greek church wrote the Pope at Rome 
for assistance, which was given, and from that day 
on the Roman Catholics have been acquiring prop¬ 
erty in Palestine as fast as they could. 

Guardians of Property 

Upon the side of the hill not far from Capernaum 
is a large stone building—an Italian Agricultural 
farm. Only monks live there and they, too, are 
guardians of Roman Catholic property. 

The excavating at Capernaum was practically 
all done by the Germans before the World War. 
The Kaiser was behind the Sultan of Turkey all the 



Photos by Miss Haller and Miss Breithaupt. 

Scene on the Sea of Galilee. 

Railroad workers near Sea of Galilee. 

Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. 





















Bethsaida the Home of Fishermen 


43 


time, and the Germans were the only people who 
were allowed to do any excavating on anything like 
a large scale. 

Visiting the head waters of the Jordan where 
they come into the lake, there is quite a large plain. 
This is pointed out as the place where Jesus fed 
the five thousand. All that remains of Bethsaida 
was also visited. Here is one quite substantial 
stone building and beautiful flower gardens, as well 
as a large productive truck garden. This is kept 
by German Catholics, who are guardians of the 
property. 

The Home of Fishermen 

Bethsaida was the great fishing center in the old 
days. Jesus often visited this city, it being the 
home of several of His disciples. Located on a 
plain at the foot of the mountain, it is an ideal place 
for such an industry. The village today contains 
quite a number of natives who live in small shacks 
and work in the gardens and take care of donkeys, 
cattle and goats. 

Lest you get the idea that no people live on the 
shores of Galilee, I will say that there are thousands 
of acres on the Jordan and other plains, both at the 
north and south, with villages scattered here and 
there. There are some rich meadows, a few tilled 
fields and orchards of orange, lemon and almond 
trees, as well as other varieties. Fishing is carried 
on at many points, such as at the places already 
mentioned and many others, among which is the 
old site of the city of Magdala, and which was the 
home of Mary Magdalene. 



Street scenes in Tiberias. 

Also a general view of Tiberias 


Photos by Henry Wiederhold 
















CHAPTER VI 


The City of Tiberias 

y | ^HE only city of any size located on the Sea of 
Galilee today is that of Tiberias. Here I en¬ 
joyed a short but most delightful visit. The Hotel 
Tiberias is quite a modern building and a real com¬ 
fortable home for travelers. The best meals I had 
in Palestine were at this hotel. 

The city contains about eight thousand people, 
two-thirds of whom are Jews. It is said that there 
are ten Jewish synagogues in the city, but I visited 
only one of them. It was a good-sized building 
and there was a service at which were a goodly 
number of men. 

Judaism is a men’s religion and women have no 
part in it, neither have children. It is a remark¬ 
able fact that Christianity is the first and only reli¬ 
gion that gives women and children any promi¬ 
nent part. At the time of Christ, woman’s lot was 
a hard one, for she was little better than a slave. 
Even today, in nearly all Eastern countries, woman 
is looked upon as far inferior to man. A man 
would almost rather go naked than to put on any 
article of dress worn by a woman. 

In the temple at Jerusalem, there was a 
“Women’s Court,” but women had no part in the 
worship, other than a very small part in the music. 
In this synagogue at Tiberias, there is a place for 
women out of sight of the men. She can watch the 
men as they worship. The men always keep their 
hats on in an orthodox Jewish synagogue. Here 


46 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

they had some very aged copies of the ancient He¬ 
brew Scriptures written by hand and upon a roll. 

The Call to Prayer From Minaret 

There are a good many Mohammedans in Tiber¬ 
ias and they have a mosque or church. Sitting on 
the veranda of the hotel, I saw and heard the Muaz- 
zin as he made the call for prayer from the minaret. 

The faithful Moslems are called to prayer five 
times a day. The first call is at five o’clock in the 
morning. The words, “God is Great” are repeated 
three times and then he says, “I bear witness that 
there is no God but God except Mohomet. Come 
to prayer, come to prayer.” At the early morning 
call he adds the words, “Prayers are better than 
sleep.” 

I took a long walk in the evening through the 
narrow, crooked, foul-smelling streets of Tiberias. 
The Arabs used to say, “The king of fleas lives in 
Tiberias,” and I imagine this is true today in much 
of the city, although I was not bothered by them in 
the Hotel Tiberias. 

Moonlight on Lake Galilee 

One of the most beautiful sights imaginable is 
the Sea of Galilee on a moonlight night from Tiber¬ 
ias. In our party of pilgrims there were thirty- 
three people. At night all went down to the water’s 
edge near the city and sat on rocks for an hour 
watching the moonbeams on the sparkling waters. 

Some good singers were in the party and they 
led in such songs as “0 Galilee, Blue Galilee,” 
“Peace, Be Still,” “Let the Lower Lights Be Burn¬ 
ing,” “Shall We Gather at the River” and other old 
familiar hymns. It was an unforgettable occasion. 


Tiberias, Herod’s Pleasure Resort 


47 


After traveling all over the Sea of Galilee in the 
steam launch, it was really hard to break away 
from Tiberias. The city was founded by Herod 
Antipas and was named for the Roman Emperor, 
Tiberias. The founder was the son of the Herod 
who sought to kill the Babe of Bethlehem. There 
is an early tradition that Jesus never visited Tiber¬ 
ias, and, if this is true, perhaps the memories of 
the heartless founder of the city had something to 
do with his avoiding this city. 

Palace and Race Course 

In the old days, Tiberias had a palace and race 
course, and when Jerusalem was destroyed it be¬ 
came the chief seat of the Jewish nation. It is yet 
classed as one of their three or four sacred cities. 

On account of the prominence of this city, the 
body of water was often called the Sea of Tiberias. 
As this is the country of Galilee, it was often called 
the Lake or Sea of Galilee. It was also called the 
Lake of Gennesaret, on account of the great plain 
of that name near, and in the Old Testament it was 
called the Sea of Chinnereth. 

Just south of Tiberias are located the famous hot 
springs, which perhaps not only account for the 
founding of the city, but also caused the Romans to 
make much of the city. Only a few miles to the 
southeast is where the plain of the Jordan begins, 
and the foot and wagon bridge across the waters of 
the Jordan can be seen. A little farther down is the 
steel railroad bridge across the Jordan. 

Tiberias to Nazareth 

It is something like twenty-live miles by automo¬ 
bile from Tiberias to Nazareth and the road is a 


48 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

well-paved highway. Ascending the hill several 
hundred feet just west of Tiberias, one has a won¬ 
derful view. Nestled at the foot of the hills, the 
Sea of Galilee looks even more beautiful from the 
top of the mountain. 

Across to the east in Trans-Jordania, you see the 
Hills of Bashan. To the north, the snowy peak of 
Mount Hermon looms up in the distance, and still 
farther away are the great Lebanon ranges. The 
Horns of Hattin, where the Sermon on the Mount 
was delivered, are very near. 

From this point one can pick out nearly every 
one of the sites of the nine cities that were on the 
banks or in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee in the 
times of our Saviour. It is really a most wonder¬ 
ful view. The great Garden Plain (Gennesaret) 
is spread out at your feet. 

Westward, is a great table-land dotted by villages 
and Jewish colonies, where all kinds of grass, grain, 
flowers, and trees are growing. Wheat and barley 
were ready for the sickle. It was on this table land 
that I saw the first evidences of western methods 
of agriculture, as I had come down from the north 
into Palestine. 

Wonderful Ruined Cities 

I may say here that Trans-Jordania has been 
called the key to many a miracle, for the rock-hewn 
city of Petra was located in the southern part of 
this country. It contained very many rose-red 
temples, tombs and palaces. In the north, the 
great underground city of Edrei has been discov¬ 
ered. It was in Trans-Jordania that the world-fa¬ 
mous Moabite Stone was found, which both gave 
light to some unexplained Bible statements and si¬ 
lenced skeptics along certain lines. 



Photos by Miss Breithaupt. 

Cana of Galilee. 

The road to Jericho. 

One of the highways in Palestine. 


















50 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


The most interesting stop on the journey to Naz¬ 
areth was at Cana, where the first recorded miracle 
of our Lord was performed. He was a guest at a 
wedding and when the supply of grape juice ran 
short He turned water into wine. 

Inside the church in Cana are kept a couple of 
very large limestone jars and they actually tell you 
that they are the identical receptacles in which was 
the wine that Jesus made. Nearby is the spring 
from which the water was taken, according to their 
story. This latter statement may be true, but as 
for the former—I simply let it go in one ear and out 
the other. Of course they want “backsheesh” for 
allowing you to look upon these sacred relics. 


CHAPTER VII 


The Home of the Carpenter 

B EFORE reaching Nazareth, I got out of the mo¬ 
tor car and walked to the top of the mountain 
just north of the city, from which one has perhaps 
the finest view in Palestine. No other spot on 
earth presents such a view. Every foot of moun¬ 
tain, valley and plain is historic. 

Off to the north, there is all and more than can be 
seen from the mountain top near Tiberias, men¬ 
tioned in the last chapter. To the west something 
like twenty miles is old Mount Carmel and just be¬ 
yond is the Mediterranean Sea. 

Turning to the south, one sees the great Plain of 
Esdraelon, which for centuries has been called the 
world’s greatest battle field. It is actually said that 
more battles were fought on this plain that de¬ 
cided the destiny of nations than on any other spot 
on the globe. 

Beyond this plain are the mountains of Samaria, 
and only about sixty miles away, as the crow flies, 
is the city of Jerusalem. To the southeast is the 
Plain of Jezreel, the mountains of Gilboa, Little 
Hermon and old Mount Tabor. Beyond these is 
the great Jordan valley, and still farther east and 
southeast the mountains of Moab. 

Looking Down Upon Nazareth 

On this mountain top the wind was blowing very 
hard, almost a gale. Men, however, were working 



The City op Nazareth. Photo by Miss Maude Parsons. 























People of Nazareth Industrious 


53 


in a field and did not seem to mind the wind at all. 
It was a great sight to look down upon the home of 
the Carpenter as it lies nestled on the mountain 
side and among the hills below. 

On the way down into the city is located a great 
Roman Catholic monastery, the buildings of which 
are almost new and cost many thousands of dol¬ 
lars. Where these people get so much money to 
erect such buildings as this is a mystery, but they 
do it just the same. 

Some twelve thousand people today call Naz¬ 
areth home. Many changes have taken place since 
my visit twenty years ago. The streets, however, 
are still the same narrow lanes and about as dirty 
as ever. 


An Industrious Folk 

But the people of Nazareth seem quite indus¬ 
trious and many of them were at their daily toil. 
There seemed to be very many children and young 
people, many of whom were very persistent in 
their effort to sell almost worthless souvenirs. 

Many of the Nazareth women are skilled in mak¬ 
ing lace and embroidery, and they throng through 
the hotel door when tourists are in town, trying to 
sell their wares. The hotels, too, are much better 
than twenty years ago; the Hotel Galilee at which 
I stopped was not only modern but comfortable. 

Nazareth is a hallowed city. To visit it thrills 
the heart of a Christian. For thirty years Jesus 
called it home, for here He lived all the years from 
babyhood until his ministry was well started. 

No doubt He played with the boys as the chil¬ 
dren play today, for these Nazareth boys and girls 
seem to be a happy, jolly company. 


54 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

Nazareth Never Destroyed 

Nearly all the cities of two thousand years ago 
which graced the hills of Galilee are now in ruins, 
but Nazareth is the same peaceful country town as 
in the days of old. It is one city in Palestine that 
has lived through all the years without ever being 
destroyed. 

On this account, it is quite possible that some of 
the so-called sacred places are authentic. Perhaps 
the old wall shown is really that of the synagogue 
where Jesus attended the Jewish service regularly 
every Sabbath day. As He grew up He was un¬ 
doubtedly given some part in the synagogue serv¬ 
ice from time to time. 

Best People Attend Church 

After He began his ministry, the record says, 
“And He came to Nazareth where He had been 
brought up; and, as His custom was, He went into 
the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up 
for to read.” 

After He found an appropriate passage from the 
prophet Isaiah, He read it and applied it to Himself. 
“And all bear Him witness and wondered at the 
gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. 
And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son!” 

Then He proceeded to preach a sermon and the 
record continues, “And all they in the synagogue, 
where they heard these things, were filled with 
wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city 
and led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their 
city was built, that they might cast Him down head¬ 
long. But He, passing through the midst of them 
and went His way, and went down to Capernaum, 


Jesus Rejected at Nazareth 55 

a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath 
days.” 

Poor, short-sighted people of Nazareth! Driv¬ 
ing the world’s greatest character from their city 
forever! He did not often go back to Nazareth 
after this rejection. But this is often the way of 
life. Now, they are proud to show the sacred 
workshop in which he labored! 

The Workshop of Joseph 

Now, the Roman Catholics own the church, under 
which is a grotto that is pointed out as the work¬ 
shop of Joseph. Also various other sects make all 
sorts of claims and show all sorts of sacred relics 
and you turn away from them all in sadness. 

In another part of the city, however, there is a 
great spring of fresh water, which is undoubtedly 
the very fountain from which Mary carried water 
for house use when He was a little boy. This is 
said to be the only watering place that Nazareth 
has ever possessed. Of course, the water has been 
piped some distance where it is handy to get at, but 
it is the same fountain, just the same. 

The various sects of so-called Christains are also 
divided over the location of the precipice where 
they brought Him for execution, some showing one 
place and some another. Half of the population 
of Nazareth today are Moslems, and as long as the 
Christians dispute over these sacred spots, the 
former are making converts. 

I was especially interested in the cave-like streets 
where the shops and little factories of the city are 
located. There are many small carpenter shops 
and men and boys work, hour after hour, but seem 
to accomplish very little. 



Mary’s Well at Nazareth. 
The City of Tiberias. 


Photos by H. O. Heckerman. 















Great Work of Near East Relief 


57 


The most lively workmen were about the auto¬ 
mobile garages. As there are some splendid high¬ 
ways emanating from Nazareth in several direc¬ 
tions and travelers are always coming and going, 
this gives employment to bright young men and 
some of them seem to be fair workmen. 

Great Work of Near East Relief 

In the edge of the city, the Near East Relief peo¬ 
ple have an orphanage for boys that is a most cred¬ 
itable institution. I spent a most delightful eve¬ 
ning at an entertainment there and must say that 
the boys in this orphanage have considerable talent. 
For two hours they entertained a small audience 
in a way that was marvelous, to say the least. 

There were several hundred boys in this orphan¬ 
age and each one had a history that was thrilling. 
Often it was a story of untold suffering and hard¬ 
ship. Surely the Near East Relief has done some 
of the most heroic work in trying to save the lives 
of children that has ever been done by any or¬ 
ganization, and the people who have given their 
money for this work have given better than they 
ever dreamed. 



Jk'hoios by Joan II. Hauberg. 

Upper—Hill of Dothan. 

Center—The River Jordan. 

Lower—Mt. Carmel overlooking Bay of Acre. 






CHAPTER VIII 


Mount Carmel and Haifa 

TT IS about twenty-five miles from Nazareth to 
Haifa by auto road. The ride is very interest¬ 
ing, for many villages are sighted, and the highway 
passes through several of them. One very indus¬ 
trious Jewish colony is passed. The houses are all 
built around a certain point and they look to be 
substantial dwellings. 

There are some good-sized wheat fields, almond 
orchards, and, on the whole, the country is quite 
prosperous looking. I could not keep from com¬ 
paring the conditions with twenty years ago when 
I rode over the same route. Then there was no in¬ 
dustry, people lived in hovels and most of them 
were always hungry. 

At that time I was held up for a government tax 
at one of the villages. One could not go anywhere 
without permission from the Turkish government. 
It was necessary to have the proper official in Haifa 
stamp my Turkish passport, giving permission to 
visit Nazareth. As I could not find him I went 
without, and at Nazareth I was taken up and fined. 
My experience before these “city dads” was both in¬ 
teresting and amusing. 

Mount Carmel is a great mountain ridge along 
the seashore, more than a dozen miles long. Just 
east of it is the River Kishon, which goes almost dry 
during the summer season. At the south end of 
Mount Carmel between it and the sea is the town of 
Athlit where the great salt works, mentioned in the 


60 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

chapter on modern industries in Palestine, is lo¬ 
cated. 


Historic Places 

Near the top of Mount Carmel is pointed out the 
place where Elijah and the prophets of Baal had 
the great test as recorded in the eighteenth chapter 
of I Kings. Here Elijah told King Ahab that there 
would be abundance of rain. As it had not rained 
for three years and there was not a cloud in the 
sky, it is hardly likely that the king believed him. 

Then Elijah went up toward the top of the moun¬ 
tain into a sort of a grotto and prostrated himself 
and prayed for rain. After a time he sent his serv¬ 
ant out where he could look at the sea to see if rain 
was coming. The servant returned saying, “There 
is nothing,” and Elijah kept praying. The servant 
went six times and came back with the same an¬ 
swer, “There is nothing.” 

But the seventh time when the servant returned 
he said, “There ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, 
like a man’s hand.” At once Elijah got up from his 
knees and sent word to Ahab to hurry home before 
the rain came and stopped him. Great faith, that! 

The Bible Confirmed 

I was told that the actual scene of Elijah’s sacri¬ 
fice and contest with Baal’s prophets has been 
traced by means of rock-cut altars which have been 
discovered. It is a sort of a natural amphitheater 
that would hold an enormous crowd, such as must 
have gathered that day. The traditional mound 
where the prophets of Baal were buried is also 
pointed out and is called the “Priests’ Mound.” 


Largest Commercial Center in Palestine 


61 


Before stopping the car, I drove to the top of the 
northern point of Mount Carmel where there is a 
great Catholic church and monastery. It is a won¬ 
derful building that cost hundreds of thousands of 
dollars. 

From the top of this building one has a magnifi¬ 
cent view. At the foot of the mountain just north 
and east is the wonderful Bay of Acre which used 
to be called the “Key to Palestine” and which 
played such a part in the history of the old days. 
On the north border of this bay is located the city 
of Acre. It is called Acco in the Book of Judges. 

Acre is surrounded with great walls and fortifica¬ 
tions and in the old days withstood some of the 
greatest sieges of history. Even a great military 
genius like Napoleon Bonaparte failed to break 
through its wall in the great siege of 1799. There 
are many places of historical interest in the city, 
but it is fast falling into decay and is becoming 
more insignificant all the time. 

A Great Industrial City 

Twenty years ago Haifa, which is at the south 
border of the Bay of Acre, was a small village. 
But the Damascus-Haifa railway was completed a 
few years ago and that changed everything. Then 
came the war and the completion of the railway to 
Cairo which connects with the Jerusalem line near 
Jaffa, and now Haifa is the great industrial city of 
Palestine, containing thirty-four thousand people. 

From our viewpoint from the top of the Carmel 
Monastery, we can see the sites of old Tyre and 
Sidon away to the north on the coast of the great 
Mediterranean Sea. Looking almost straight down 
many hundred feet we see one of the most beauti¬ 
ful suburbs of any city in Palestine. 


62 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


This is the western part of the city of Haifa. A 
German colony started this suburb, years ago, and 
it was laid out by landscape artists and architects. 
Now its straight streets, substantial buildings, beau¬ 
tiful trees and gardens, with an abundance of nar¬ 
cissus, anemone, asphodel and many other flowers 
growing, make it beautiful, to say the least. 

I neglected to say that this monastery from which 
these views are described is called the Carmelite 
Convent. While no women are allowed in it, there 
is a hospice attached to it in which travelers are al¬ 
lowed to stay. The convent has a large library. 
I went over or through the great building from bot¬ 
tom to top. 

Dwelling and Schoolhouse of Elijah 

Beneath the building is an old cave or grotto that 
is pointed out as the dwelling place of the Prophet 
Elijah. We read that both Elijah and Elisha lived 
at Mount Carmel for many years, and established 
here a sort of theological seminary, which was 
called a school for the prophets. 

Down near the foot of the mountain there is a 
very interesting ancient cave which was excavated 
in the natural rock and squared into a great room. 
Local tradition points to this as the location of the 
sacred college. In the Bible there are references 
to other schools for prophets as well as this one. 
One was located at Bethel and another at Jericho. 

I may say further regarding this great rock 
chamber schoolhouse, that the sleeping places for 
the inmates can be seen, as well as grooves for cur¬ 
tains which divided the chamber, and the benches 
cut from solid rock on which the students sat while 
listening to their teacher. 


Best Harbor in Palestine 


63 


A Comfortable Hotel 

Going down this wonderful winding, splendidly- 
paved highway, my car stopped at the Grand Hotel 
Nassar. I was surprised at the comfort and mod¬ 
ernness of this Haifa hotel. In fact, these days one 
can travel through Palestine and be almost as com¬ 
fortable as in Switzerland excepting, of course, that 
the weather is very hot at certain seasons. 

While there are many good substantial business 
houses and some fairly respectable streets, yet 
most of the streets are narrow and dirty and many 
of the people live in a wretched condition. There 
is a central market place and much of the land 
around the Bay is very productive. All kinds of 
grain, vegetables and fruits are raised and modern 
methods are being introduced everywhere. 

Best Harbor in Palestine 

Haifa is, no doubt, destined to be the greatest 
Palestine port city. The harbor facilities are by 
far the best on the Palestine coast. The port at 
Jaffa is very dangerous and can never be made any¬ 
thing like safe in rough weather, as the rocks stick 
up from the bottom and greatly imperil traffic on 
the sea. 

With a great modern flour mill with a possible 
output of fifty tons of flour a day, with many indus¬ 
tries which are already assuming rather large pro¬ 
portions, with the great salt works but a dozen 
miles away, and the vast Plain of Esdraelon at its 
side, the possibilities of which are only touched as 
yet, and still other advantages both natural and 
artificial, Haifa is destined to be the greatest indus¬ 
trial and commercial center of the Holy Land. 



Photos by John H. Hnuberg. 

Scenes on the Plain of Esdraelon. 























CHAPTER IX 


Across the Plain of Esdraelon 

*TpHE great automobile highway from Haifa to 
Jerusalem through Samaria takes one from 
Haifa to Nazareth and then almost due south for 
more than sixty miles. It is one of the most inter¬ 
esting rides that one can take in any country. 
Much of the scenery is fine, but the historic interest 
is more fascinating. 

As the automobile highway winds around the 
mountain almost every which way, the ride down 
to the border of the great Plain of Esdraelon was 
somewhat thrilling. However, the Palestine driv¬ 
ers are skilled chauffeurs and the Oakland car was 
one of the best. 

Just to my left and in the distance was old Mount 
Tabor upon the top of which is now being erected 
a great Catholic church that will cost a million dol¬ 
lars, so it is said. 

South of Mount Tabor is Little Hermon. At the 
foot and on the northern slope of a hill is the vil¬ 
lage of Endor, where King Saul went to consult 
the witch, as recorded in the twenty-eighth chapter 
of I Samuel. 

Where Jesus Raised the Dead 

Next is pointed out the village of Nain, and we 
recall the story in the seventh chapter of Luke of 
one of the visits of Jesus. “Now when He came 
nigh unto the gate of the city, behold there was a 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, 
and she was a widow; and much people of the city 
went with her. And when the Lord saw her, he 
had compassion on her, and said to her, ‘Weep not.’ 
And He came and touched the bier; and they that 
were with Him stood still. And He said, ‘Young 
man, I say unto thee, arise!’ And he that was dead 
sat up, and began to speak! And He delivered 
him to his mother.” 

We can also see the place where Deborah and 
Barak mobilized their army and waited for a favor¬ 
able time to attack Jabin and Sisera. In the army 
of the latter, were the chariots of iron which could 
not be driven up the mountain, and when there 
came a great rain so the chariot wheels would stick 
in the mud, Deborah and Barak swept down upon 
them with an army of ten thousand men, creating 
such havoc that it was said, poetically, “The stars in 
their courses fought against Sisera.” 

After passing the location of Nain, we cross the 
Damascus-Haifa railway track. This line crosses 
the Jordan just below Samakh, which is on the 
southern shore of the Sea of Galilee, goes more 
than a dozen miles almost due south to the town of 
Beisan and then almost fifty miles northwest to 
Haifa. 


A Hospitable Family 

Farther along, the village on the site of Shunem 
came into view. Here lived the family that thought 
so much of the prophet Elisha, who often passed 
that way, that they fitted up a room for the prophet. 
One day their son was out in the harvest field with 
the men and he was overcome by the heat. The 
lad was carried to the village, and later in the day 
died in his mother’s arms. 


The Shunammite Woman 


67 


This heart-broken mother carried the body of her 
dead boy into the prophet’s chamber and laid it 
upon the bed, and then started to Mount Carmel to 
see the prophet. The record says that Elisha saw 
her coming and sent his servant, Gehazi, to meet 
her with instructions to ask if all was well. But 
the sorrowing mother did not want to talk to Gehazi 
and said “It is well.” 

Coming to the prophet, the Shunammite woman 
fell at his feet and sobbed out the story of her sor¬ 
row, refusing to go back home until Elisha went 
with her. On reaching the home, the prophet 
raised the dead boy to life again and once more 
that was a happy household. 

It was not far from here that the Philistines had 
their camp just before the terrible battle in which 
Saul and Jonathan, as well as two other sons of 
Saul, lost their lives. 

The Watch Tower of Jezreel 

The next point of great interest is the site of the 
old city of Jezreel. The old ruins on the crest of 
the hill are all that is left of the “Watch Tower of 
Jezreel,” see II Kings, chapter nine. From this spot 
watchmen saw Jehu coming, driving furiously in 
his race for a throne. 

It was at Jezreel that Ahab had a beautiful palace 
with luxurious gardens, but envied Naboth, a hum¬ 
ble workman, whose vineyard outshone his own. 
When Naboth refused to either sell or trade his 
little tract of land to Ahab, the king went home so 
mad that even Jezebel, his wicked wife and queen, 
was alarmed. 

When Jezebel found out Ahab’s trouble she took 
matters into her own hands, had Naboth stoned to 
death, and his holdings transferred to the king’s es- 



Scenes at Old Samaria 


Photos by John H. Hauberg. 

























A Striking Prophecy 


69 


tate. But when King Ahab went to take possession 
of Naboth’s vineyard, Elijah met him and pro¬ 
nounced upon him the terrible sentence, “In the 
place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall 
dogs lick thy blood, even thine.” 

Also of Jezebel, who was instrumental in having 
the crime committed; the Lord directed Elijah to 
say, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the walls of 
Jezreel.” These terrible prophecies both came 
true to the letter in the years that followed. This 
was a most terrible punishment for one of the 
blackest crimes ever perpetrated by a woman. 

A little farther east in the Valley of Jezreel, oc¬ 
curred the battle in which Gideon and his three 
hundred picked men surprised and utterly de¬ 
feated the Midianites, the record of which is found 
in the seventh chapter of Judges. 

Where Gideon Tested His Army 

The Bible Well of Harod where Gideon tested his 
army is found here. In the first test, twenty-two 
thousand failed and were sent away and only ten 
thousand were left. When the next test was ap¬ 
plied, only three hundred men were found capable, 
and with them the vast army of the Midianites was 
put to flight. If you would appreciate the skill 
with which General Gideon worked out the sur¬ 
prise and manner of attack that won such a victory, 
turn to the Bible and read the entire story through 
very carefully again. 

At the foot of the mountains of Samaria, at the 
south border of Esdraelon, is the modern town of 
Jenin. This is not a Bible town but is supposed to 
be the location of the place where Jesus healed the 
ten lepers, and the only one who returned to thank 
him was a Samaritan. 



Scenes at Old Samaria. 


Photos by John H. Hauberg. 












CHAPTER X 


On Through Samaria 

A LL understand that Palestine used to be divi¬ 
ded into three divisions—Galilee on the 
north, Samaria in the center and Judea in the south. 
There was bitter enmity between the Jews and Sa¬ 
maritans and they had no dealings with each other. 

Ordinarily, the Jews in Galilee when they wanted 
to go to Jerusalem, would not pass through Sa¬ 
maria. They would cross the Jordan to the east 
side while in their own country, go down the river 
until they came to Judea and cross back again, go¬ 
ing perhaps a half hundred miles out of their way 
rather than pass through Samaria. 

Leaving Jenin, the automobile road winds its 
way up and over the top of the watershed of the 
Mountains of Samaria, and then for several miles 
across a plain or rather table-land in a part of 
which the soil is fertile. 

The Hill City of Dothan 

Almost the first place of great historical interest 
is Dothan. The site is upon a hill that is almost in¬ 
accessible except from one side. 

It was at Dothan that Joseph’s brethren were 
feeding their flocks when he was sent out by his 
father to find them, and see how they were coming 
on. Near Dothan can be seen today some ancient 
rock-cut pits or cisterns, one of which is pointed out 
as the pit into which he was cast until the caravan 


72 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

of Ishmaelites came along bound for Egypt, and to 
whom Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver. 

If you will turn to the sixth chapter of II Kings, 
you will find another most interesting story con¬ 
cerning Dothan. The King of Syria had been at¬ 
tacking the Israelites and it seemed that every time 
his secret plans were given away. 

Galling his generals together, he demanded who 
was the traitor among them. One of them replied, 
“None, my Lord, O King, but Elisha, the prophet 
that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words 
that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.” 

When it was found that Elisha was at Dothan, a 
great army was sent in the nighttime and sur¬ 
rounded the hill upon which the city was located. 

A Remarkable Story 

The next morning when the servant of Elisha got 
up and saw this mighty host, he was frightened and 
ran to his master asking what they could do. And 
he answered, “Fear not; for they that be with us 
are more than they that be with them.” 

“And Elisha prayed, and said. Lord, I pray thee, 
open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord 
opened the eyes of the young man and he saw; and, 
behold, the mountain was full of horses and char¬ 
iots of fire round about Elisha.” 

From Dothan the road takes us on nearly due 
south and we pass many villages, some of which 
are quite prosperous. Olive and almond groves, 
wheat and barley fields, as well as vegetable 
gardens, greet us from every side. 

Ascending another mountain ridge we finally get 
a glimpse of the “Hill of Samaria” and its surround¬ 
ings, which as some one says, was the scene of so 


The Hill of Samaria 73 

many stirring events in the history of the kings of 
Israel. 

A party of thirty-six of us were now traveling to¬ 
gether in eight automobiles. Sometime before, 
when the company had stopped, the chaffeurs were 
in a conference together and some of them were 
talking very excitedly. 

A Natural Fortress 

They had been given orders to go to the Hill of 
Samaria. Now, the auto highway misses this place 
of great historic interest by a couple of miles and 
the by-road is very rough and difficult to drive over. 
It developed that some of these drivers were setting 
up a great protest against it, but they finally yielded 
and drove the entire party to this historic spot. 

In the old days, this Hill of Samaria, or Sebaste 
as it is now called, was a great fortress. More than 
five hundred feet above the plain and with a great 
table land on the top, this mountain was an ideal 
location for the capital city of the country in the 
times of Ahab, as well as both earlier and later. 

At the foot of the hill are yet to be seen the ruins 
of the ancient aqueduct which brought abundance 
of water into a reservoir, which was called the Pool 
of Samaria. Water was taken from this pool to 
wash the blood-stained chariot of Ahab after his 
violent death, which was so strikingly prophesied 
by Elijah years before. See I Kings, 22:38. 

Ivory Palace of Ahab 

On this Hill of Samaria Ahab built his ivory 
palace, which some historian has said was cedar- 
ceiled and vermilion-painted. It was here that 
Jezebel was allowed to establish the worship of 



Photos by M. G. Geil. 

A PRODUCTIVE MOUNTAINSIDE IN PALESTINE. 

The author in the ruins of Old Samaria. 






Tomb of John the Baptist 


75 


Baal and Ashteroth. In connection with this, was 
the sacrifice of children to the god Moloch, which 
was a great human figure of bronze with a bull’s 
head and outstretched arms. 

This great image was hollow and a fire was built 
until the image was almost red hot. While drums 
were beaten to drown their cries, mothers would 
place their children in the outstretched arms of the 
great idol and they were quickly burned to death. 

In later times, Herod had a palace at Samaria 
and many suppose it was here John the Baptist 
was beheaded. In the old Crusader church, which 
is now used for a Mohammedan school, is located 
the traditional tomb of the Baptist. This tomb 
is under the church and no doubt was a real 
sepulcher in the old days. 

John the Baptist 

Josephus, the Jewish historian, who lived a little 
later than the time the events occurred, states dis¬ 
tinctly that John the Baptist was beheaded at Fort 
Machaerus, in the land of Moab just east of the 
Dead Sea, while early Christian tradition names 
Samaria as the place. I also visited the Shrine of 
John the Baptist in Damascus, as both native 
Christians and Mohammedans believe that his head 
was taken to Damascus and buried there. 

Passing through the village in Samaria where 
the so-called tomb is located, I walked up to the 
great table-land on the top of the hill. Many ruins 
are seen on the top. The ground is very fertile and 
wheat was being harvested on the Hill of Samaria. 

Going down on the opposite side, I soon came to 
the wonderful ruins at the Gate of Samaria. One 
of the very interesting Bible stories that came to 


76 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

mind was the story of the lepers at the time of 
famine, which is found in the seventh chapter of 
II Kings. It was also at this place that Elisha lived 
when Naaman came to get his leprosy cured. 

Greatest Ruins in Palestine 

I know of no place in Palestine where there are 
such extensive ruins as at Samaria. A great 
colonnade, in which were two thousand and more 
great columns, ran entirely around the hill, and 
more than one hundred of them are standing today. 
About six miles from Samaria is the city of Nablus, 
which used to be called Shechem, and which is 
said to be the oldest city in Palestine. Here Abra¬ 
ham offered sacrifices when he and Lot first came 
from Haran to this land that we now call Palestine. 


CHAPTER XI 


The Samaritan Synagogue 

CORRECTLY understand the Samaritan 

-*• synagogue, we must go a little deeper into the 
history of the Samaritans. When the ten tribes of 
the Children of Israel in the north were carried into 
captivity never to return, some people, of course, 
were left behind. 

The Assyrian king also sent colonists from his 
home country to settle and take care of this land 
he had captured from the Israelites. These As¬ 
syrian colonists naturally brought their own idola¬ 
trous worship with them. 

These people intermarried with those left in 
Samaria, and in the course of time the races were 
about as badly mixed as their religions. At the 
same time these mixed people really classed them¬ 
selves as Jews. 

In the course of time, the two tribes in the south 
(Judea) were also carried into captivity by Nebuch¬ 
adnezzar, but after seventy years they returned to 
rebuild both the city of Jerusalem and the temple 
which had been destroyed. 

Help of Samaritans Refused 

When the returned Jews started to rebuild the 
temple, these Jewish people of Samaria courteously 
offered to help them, but the offer was spurned. 
This refusal was to signify that these brethern of 
the returned captivity disowned them and, of 


78 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

course, this aroused all the indignation of the 
Samaritans. 

Then it was that these Samaritans decided to 
build a temple of their own. The spot they chose 
was Mount Gerizim, and from that day until this 
the two factions have been at war with each other. 

In the days of the Saviour, the lines were strictly 
drawn. When He talked with the woman at the 
well of Samaria and she saw that He was a teacher, 
she said, “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; 
and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place of wor¬ 
ship,” thus bringing up the question that divided 
the Jews and Samaritans. 

From Nablus, I went up to the old synagogue of 
the Samaritans, which is on Mount Gerizim. You 
have to go through long, narrow, cavelike streets 
and vaulted passages to get to this old synagogue, 
but when you reach it you have found an interest¬ 
ing spot. 


Oldest Bible in the World 

There are less than two hundred of these Samari¬ 
tans left, and they are very poor. They have the 
oldest copy of the Pentatuch in existence. These 
manuscripts or scrolls were written only twelve 
years after the Children of Israel entered the 
promised land, if their story is true. This would 
make them around four thousand years old. 

The manuscripts are pieces of parchment, yellow 
with age. They are rolled upon brass rods with 
silver knobs on each end. They can be rolled and 
unrolled as read. They are kept in a brass case, 
which is inlaid with gold and guarded as though 
they were the most valuable diamonds. 

I talked with one of these priests and with the 
help of a guide understood some things he told 


The Will of Jacob 


79 


me. While very courteous, yet the old animosity 
he has for the Jews is noticeable. 

These Samaritans observe the feasts of the Pass- 
over and Pentecost here on Mount Gerizim, and do 
all things like the Children of Israel did in the days 
of Moses and Aaron. They think the Jews are all 
wrong and that they are the only true Israelites. 

Mounts of Blessing and Cursing 

Nablus is at the west end of a valley between 
two mountains, that of Mount Gerizim and Mount 
Ebal. On account of some prophecies and later 
some events that occurred here, Mount Gerizim 
became known as the Mount of Blessings and 
Ebal the Mount of Cursings. 

The strange thing about the place is that the 
acoustic properties of this valley are the most re¬ 
markable that can be found on earth. I was told 
again and again that friends could take their places 
on either side of this valley and talk to each other 
across it without any undue effort. 

The Well of Jacob 

At the east end of the valley is located Jacob’s 
Well, where Jesus talked with the Samaritan 
woman. This is one of the most sacred spots in 
Palestine, for there is hardly a shadow of a doubt 
but this is the well dug by Jacob nearly four thou¬ 
sand years ago. 

When I visited this well twenty years ago it was 
uncovered, but, of course, a wall was built around 
the garden in which it was located. Now a church 
is built over the well, which is but a stone’s throw 
from the automobile highway. 

The monk took a lighted candle and placed it 
in a receptacle so it would remain level and let it 



Photo by Dar D. Daly. 


Jacob’s Well—now inside of a church 





The Tomb of Joseph 


81 


down to the water, some sixty feet below, that I 
might see the entire wall. 

They have tried to preserve the original stone at 
the top where Jesus sat, but it is now in such dif¬ 
ferent surroundings from where I saw it before that 
I hardly know what to say about it. 

The Tomb of Joseph 

Not far from Jacob’s Well is the Tomb of Joseph. 
You remember that when the Children of Israel 
left Egypt, they carried with them the bones of 
Joseph, and after the conquest of Canaan brought 
them here and buried them at the old home near 
the well where he played when but a little boy. 

Standing here, we are really on the farm that 
was once owned by Abraham, later by Isaac 
and still later by Jacob. The fact that the Saviour 
of the world stopped here and rested after his long 
journey, makes the spot doubly interesting. 






















CHAPTER XII 


Going Up to Jerusalem 

F ROM Nablus to Jerusalem is perhaps thirty-five 
or forty miles by auto. This road is well paved 
and very smooth. It is well taken care of and many 
travelers throng it daily. Numerous automobiles, 
mostly carrying tourists, are seen, as well as cara¬ 
vans of camels, donkeys, carts and wagons and 
vehicles of all descriptions. 

Much of the country is productive. Vineyards 
are on the terraced mountain sides, often reaching 
to the top. Olive trees, figs, almonds and many 
other varieties of trees are found in places. Vil¬ 
lages are frequent, but not generally on the high¬ 
way. 

Of course, there is much land that is completely 
covered with stones and seems almost worthless, 
yet shepherds with their flocks of sheep and goats 
roam over it. Nearly every foot of the land is his¬ 
toric, and it matters not which way one turns his 
head, he can see some place that has Riblical his¬ 
tory connected with it. 

An Inland Commercial Center 

Refore leaving Nablus for good, I wish to call 
attention to the fact that it contains some thirty 
thousand people. It is an enterprising inland 
town and the chief commercial center between 
Damascus and Jerusalem. 

The chief industry is soap making. While in the 
town years ago I was told that there were twenty- 


84 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

seven soap factories in it. Of course, everything 
is done in the most primitive way. There is noth¬ 
ing modern about Nablus, even at this time. The 
best hotel is very ancient and primitive. I took a 
look into the kitchen, and found things were 
cleaner than I expected, however. 

I had a fine little visit with the young man who 
waited upon me at the table. He spoke English 
quite well. It is his hope by day and dream by 
night to get to America and he thinks he will be 
able to do so in two years more. 

Religiously, the people at Nablus are mostly Mo¬ 
hammedan and are quite fanatical. When I went 
through the streets at night, my Jewish companion 
kept hold of my hand saying that if we got sepa¬ 
rated we might never see each other again. That 
was years ago, but if all reports are true, condi¬ 
tions are not much better at this time. 

Some Historic Incidents 

Soon after leaving Nablus, the road enters the 
Plain of Shiloh where a ruin on a hill marks the 
place where the Tabernacle and Ark of the Cove- 
nent rested for four hundred years. 

When the news came that the Ark had fallen 
into the hands of the enemy, the old priest Eli, who 
was sitting by the side of the gate, was so startled 
that he fell off the seat backwards and broke his 
neck. Perhaps one of the old rock-cut sepulchers 
in the neighborhood was where his body was laid 
to rest. 

The next place of great interest along this way 
is Bethel, where Jacob, lying with his head upon a 
stone for a pillow, had a wonderful dream of the 
ladder to heaven, which was immortalized in the 
song, “Nearer My God to Thee.” 


The Prophet Who Told a Lie 85 

A “Lie” That Cost a Life 

Here it was, too, that Jeroboam set up the altar 
and when he was all ready to offer sacrifice a name¬ 
less prophet appeared upon the scene and cursed 
the altar. When Jeroboam put out his hand to 
take hold of this man it became paralyzed. 

Around the hill is where the old prophet lived 
who made up a lie that cost the young prophet his 
life. The whole story is recorded in the thirteenth 
chapter of I Kings. 

There is near Shiloh a sunken court, four hun¬ 
dred feet long and seventy-five feet wide, which 
many think is where the tabernacle remained dur¬ 
ing all the years, according to a rabbinical tradi¬ 
tion, says Dr. D. E. Lorenz. 

Crossing a fertile and well cultivated plateau and 
down a wooded glen, a spring of water made an 
ideal camping place for travelers before the days 
of automobiles. 


Robbers Fountain 

The wild men of the desert often took advantage 
of the situation and robbed the travelers. This 
was done so much that this wild picturesque spot 
was named Robbers’ Fountain. 

Going on toward Jerusalem, the village of Bireh, 
the location of the ancient city of Beeroth, comes 
into view. Tradition connects this place with the 
first Passover attended by Jesus when he was twelve 
years of age. 

According to the ancient story, it was here that 
Joseph and Mary first missed the lad from their 
company and went back to Jerusalem and found 
him in the temple among the doctors, both hearing 























The Watch Tower at Mizpah 


87 


them and asking them questions. The record says, 
“And all that heard Him were astonished at His 
understanding and His answers.” 

There comes to mind a personal experience that 
shows how natural such an occurrence could be. 
When but a lad about twelve years of age, I ac¬ 
companied father and mother on an excursion to a 
city something like a hundred miles distant from 
home. 

It was a large excursion party and very many 
from the immediate neighborhood attended, all 
going on a special. All understood the time set for 
departure at night. In such a crowd friends soon 
were lost to each other. I was one who was lost 
from friends and did not see father and mother 
until they came through the train hunting their lost 
boy after the train had started home at night. 

A Famous Tower 

Nearing Jerusalem, the site of ancient Mizpah 
came into view. It was located on a hill and from 
the famous watch-tower commanded a wonderful 
view of the whole country, being on top of a hill 
which is nearly three thousand feet above the level 
of the sea. 

Many things happened at Mizpah in the old days. 
Here the Children of Israel were summoned to de¬ 
cide what to about the terrible crimes committed 
in and the rebellion of the tribe of Benjamin as re¬ 
corded in the twentieth chapter of Judges. 

Still later, Mizpah was the place where the peo¬ 
ple gathered to ratify the selection of Saul, whom 
Samuel had anointed as the first king of Israel. 
The body of Samuel was also buried here, as this 
was one of the three points where he regularly 



Photos by Miss Breithaupt and John H. Hauberg. 

The Star and Crescent at the Jaffa Gate. 

The City of Jerusalem. 

A mob of Moslems at the Jaffa Gate. 











The City of the Great King 


89 


judged Israel. This is only about five or six miles 
from Jerusalem. 

An Aeroplane Base 

Just over the mountain north of Jerusalem, the 
British are now constructing a great aeroplane base. 
There is a large tract of level land and they are 
doing a tremendous amount of work upon it. In a 
few years the city of Jerusalem will extend to this 
point, and, no doubt, one will be able to get on a 
trolley car at the Jaffa gate and in a few minutes 
ride to this suburb. Of course, there is no such 
thing as a trolley car about Jerusalem as yet. 

From the top of Mount Scopus, we get our first 
glimpse of the City of the Great King! Twenty 
years ago this sight thrilled me. Situated on the 
top of Mount Moriah and Mount Zion, there are 
higher mountains on all sides, and the words of the 
psalmist at once comes to mind, “As the mountains 
are around about Jerusalem, so is the Lord round 
about His people from henceforth even forever.” 



Mount Calvary. 
Mary’s Fountain. 


Photos by Dr. Sunkle. 


All at Jerusalem. 


Solomon’s Quarries. 
Mount Zion. 

















CHAPTER XIII 


On Mount Calvary 

T3EFORE entering Jerusalem, it is wise to stop 
just north of the Damascus Gate and visit 
what, to the writer, at least, is one of the most 
sacred spots in or about Jerusalem. 

At the time of my first visit to this place, there 
were no buildings in the neighborhood and one 
could get the full significance of the place. Now, it 
is all built up and a high wall built around the spot 
I wish to describe. 

Ry the side of the ancient highway that led from 
the Damascus Gate is a remarkably shaped hill 
with rugged limestone cliffs. Ref ore certain points 
were broken off, one could stand at a particular 
spot and see what looked to be a gigantic skull. 

The Jews called this the “Hill of Execution,” and 
when they were compelled to pass it would mutter 
the formula, “Cursed be He who destroyed our na¬ 
tion by aspiring to be its king.” 

The Place of a Skull 

This place exactly fits the description given in 
such passages as “And they bring unto the place 
Golgotha, which is being interpreted the place of a 
skull;” “For the place where Jesus was crucified 
was nigh to the city;” “Suffered without the gate,” 
etc. This is undoubtedly the true Mount Calvary. 

Turning to the record again, “Now in the place 
where He was crucified there was a garden; and in 
the garden a new sepulcher wherein was man never 



Photos by Miss Haller, Mr. Hauberg and Miss Breithaupt. 

The Hills of Bethlehem. 

A STREET SCENE IN BETHLEHEM. 

At the Tomb of Christ. 











The Tomb of Christ 


93 


yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because 
of the Jews preparation day; for the sepulcher was 
nigh at hand.” 

It was General Gordon who discovered the tomb 
at the side of this Mount Calvary. It was filled up 
with the debris of centuries. When cleaned out it 
was found to be cut out of the solid rock. 

In getting this tomb in shape, the workmen found 
an old wall and on tracing it discovered that it en¬ 
closed a garden. The wall butts up against the 
limestone hill and fits the Bible description to an 
exact nicety. 

Visiting the Tomb of Christ 

On my first visit to this tomb, a converted Jew 
was my guide. As we came to the tomb he called 
attention to the rolling stone at the door. They cut 
a groove along the bottom (the entire side of the 
stone being smooth and upright as though some 
giant had cut a smooth surface a dozen feet wide 
and nearly as high), and the rolling stone was some¬ 
thing like a gigantic grindstone. 

When this stone was in place and they wished to 
close the tomb, they rolled it up to the end and it 
was large enough to cover the opening. When they 
wished to open the tomb they “rolled the stone 
away,” or to the other end of the groove, and the 
tomb was open. 

Entering, this Jew next called attention to the fact 
that any Jew would know that it is a Jewish tomb, 
as they made them a little different from those of 
any other people. Next, that it was a rich man’s 
tomb, etc. 

Then, a very peculiar thing is that just above the 
door there is an opening through which one can 


94 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

look from above. I was told that there is not an¬ 
other tomb with such an opening within twenty 
miles of Jerusalem. 

The record states that when Peter and John ran 
to the tomb on the resurrection morning that John 
reached it first and saw the “linen clothes lying.” 
These were the clothes in which the body was 
wrapped. 

When Peter came up, he rushed into the tomb 
and saw not only the linen clothes, but in addition 
he saw “the napkin, that was about his head, not 
lying with the linen clothes, bul wrapped together 
in a place by itself.” No wonder it is said, “And he 
saw and believed.” No one ever had reason to 
doubt his faith after that hour. 

The Bible Story Fits Tomb 

To get the real significance of this statement, a 
more minute attention to details is necessary. In 
this particular tomb, the only completed receptacle 
for a body has what is called a “head cavity;” that 
is, the place for the head is back under a covering. 
From the outside, or the opening at the top through 
which it is likely John looked, it would be impos¬ 
sible to see anything but the linen clothes that were 
about the body. 

It would be necessary, therefore, for one to go in¬ 
to the tomb to see the napkin that was about the 
head. It was just as though the body had slipped 
out of the burial clothes without disturbing them at 
all. 

So far as is known, this is absolutely the only 
tomb in or about Jerusalem where the incidents 
which are so minutely and yet so graphically de¬ 
scribed by John’s gospel and other references, could 
possibly have occurred. 



Photos by Henry Wiederhola. 

Street scene in Jerusalem. 

The Mosque of Omar. 

Women burden bearers in Jerusalem. 



















96 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

One Sacred Place in Hands of Protestants 

This entire “Garden Tomb,” as it is now called, 
is in the hands of Protestant people. The tomb in 
the Church of the Holy Sepulcher as well as another 
shown to visitors, are in the hands of the Greek and 
Roman Catholics, who have made these so-called 
sacred spots a source of great financial income to 
the respective churches. 

On this account, the Catholic people, as well as 
many others, try very hard to discredit everything 
connected with the Garden Tomb. This is true to 
such an extent that no guide to sacred places is now 
allowed to enter the inclosure where the true tomb 
is located, as practically all of these guides are in 
the hands of the “powers that be,” and who are de¬ 
termined to discredit all sacred spots that they do 
not own or at least control. 

This entire area covers about three acres. Many 
great Bible scholars have visited this place and as 
one of them has said, “it presents strong and conclu¬ 
sive evidence of being the actual spot of the Cruci¬ 
fixion. It carries instant conviction even to critical 
and conservative minds.” If the hill is Mount Cal¬ 
vary there is hardly a shadow of a doubt that this 
tomb is the actual spot where His body was laid. 

Wonderful Stone Quarries of Solomon 

In the same neighborhood, outside the city walls, 
can be seen Solomon’s Quarries. With a lighted 
candle I went far down into these great caverns, 
which actually take one beneath the city. From 
here the great stones used in Solmon’s Temple were 
quarried and drawn to the surface upon an inclined 
roadway. 


The Grotto of Jeremiah 


97 


Strange as it may seem, you can see how they 
used to hew out the stone and break them from the 
bed rock. The marks left by Phoenician workmen 
are found and the places where their lamps or 
torches were held are still to be seen. Not nearly 
all of these great caverns have been explored as yet. 
Not so long ago, great reservoirs that will hold mil¬ 
lions of gallons of water were discovered beneath 
the city. 

Jeremiah’s Grotto and the Tombs of the Kings 
are also north of the city. The former is said to be 
where the prophet hid himself from the king who 
tried to destroy God’s Word, and the latter are so 
large that a good-sized house could be let down in 
them. The great wide stone stairway, in which 
are twenty-four huge steps, is a colossal affair. The 
rock-cut court is nearly a hundred feet square. 
Receptacles were made for more than seventy 
bodies, and in some cases the rolling stones are in 
their grooves. 





Photos by Miss Breithaupt. 

Woman with water jar. 

Water carrier in Jerusalem. 


Via Dolorosa. 
Woman merchant. 


































CHAPTER XIV 


The World’s Most Sacred City 

J ERUSALEM has rightly been called the pilgrim¬ 
age city of the world. To both the Christian 
and the Jew, it is the world’s most sacred city and 
to the Mohammedans it is a second Mecca. 

Located on the flat tops of two mountains, the 
valley between them has largely been filled until 
the great plateau covers a thousand acres or more. 
Rut the old city covered only something like three 
hundred acres of ground. 

The walls around the old city are from thirty to 
a hundred feet high. It is only a little more than 
two miles around the old wall. Rut two-thirds of 
the sixty-two thousand, five hundred seventy-eight 
inhabitants of Jerusalem live without the city walls. 

At the southeast wall of the city, which is ninety 
feet high, the excavators sunk a shaft to see how 
deep the foundation stones are. They dug almost 
ninety feet down before they came upon the founda¬ 
tion stones which date back to Solomon’s time. On 
one of these stones they found the mason’s marks, 
which proved to be Phoenician characters. 

In I Kings, 5:18 we read: “And Solomon’s build¬ 
ers and Hiram’s builders did hew them and the 
stonesquarcrs; so they prepared timber and stones 
to build the house.” This Hiram was king of Tyre 
—in Phoenicia—and here almost a hundred feet be¬ 
low the ground and after three thousand years, we 
have a confirmation of the Scriptures. 


100 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

Twelve Nations Have Owned Jerusalem 

In all, Jerusalem has been in the hands of twelve 
different nations and the present city is built upon 
the ruins of other cities. In fact, some ancient pot¬ 
tery found in the bottom of a shaft sunk but a year 
ago by excavators, dates back to perhaps three 
thousand years B. C., so it is now believed that the 
foundations of the first city were laid five thousand 
years ago. 

It is said that many of the streets of Jerusalem, 
upon which the Saviour trod, are now from twenty 
to sixty feet below the surface. I saw and walked 
upon the pavement of one of these streets about 
thirty feet below the street above. A remarkable 
thing about this pavement is that on the rock are 
the outlines of diagrams used by the Roman sol¬ 
diers in a game they played. Only about the time 
of Christ did they play that particular game. 

As mentioned in a preceding chapter, the Jews 
are coming back to Palestine in large numbers since 
the war. Seventy-five years ago, it is said, there 
were but thirty-two Jewish families in Jerusalem. 
Now there are thirty-three thousand, nine hundred 
seventy-one Jews in the city. 

A Five Million Dollar University 

There are said to be more than one hundred Jew¬ 
ish synagogues today in which worship is held on 
the Sabbath day and many of these services are 
well attended. Work has already begun on a five 
million dollar Hebrew University. It is to be on 
the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem, and it 
will include a modern medical school and hospital. 

There are but few American Jews in Palestine, 
for it must be remembered that America is about 


The Wonderful Solomon’s Stables 


101 


the only country on earth where the Jew has not 
been persecuted, and American Jews are too well 
satisfied in their adopted country to ever go back to 
their home land. 

It is said that forty different languages are spoken 
by the Jews of Palestine and many of them cannot 
understand each other. But, after all, they have 
held on to about the same manners, and customs, 
and all dress about the same. 

Perhaps the first place in the city to claim our 
attention, is the temple area on Mount Moriah. 
Geologists say that this and Mount Sinai are the 
two oldest spots on the globe. 

Temple Area Covered Thirty-five Acres 

This sacred area covers about thirty-five acres. 
It seems that the top of the rocky plateau was hewn 
down level where the rocks stuck up and filled up 
level, mostly by gigantic masonry work where it 
was lower. 

I have visited more than once the vast caverns be¬ 
neath that are called Solomon’s Stables. The solid 
masonry built up beneath parts of this area is one 
of the marvelous sights of the city. There are acres 
of these great caverns, and, as mentioned elsewhere, 
only somewhat recently great reservoirs that would 
hold millions of gallons of water have been discov¬ 
ered. 

Speaking of discoveries, it is hard to prophesy 
what the next few years will bring forth. For 
nearly a thousand years the Unspeakable Turk has 
had possession of the city, and, outside of the Kai¬ 
ser’s representatives, only a few others could get 
permission to stick a spade into the ground. 

On the spot where the temple of Solomon used to 
stand, the Mohammedan Mosque of Omar now 



Photo by Henry Wiederhold. 

Upper—Drawing water at a well in Jerusalem. 

Center—Scene between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. 

Lower—A Palestine village of today. 




















The Threshing Floor of Ornart 


103 


stands. This fact is made certain by the Dome of 
the Rock. This great rock has been called the 
eighth wonder of the world. It is about sixty by 
forty feet and some six feet high, and was evidently 
the natural rock on the top of Mount Moriah. 

The Jews believe that Adam was created on this 
spot; that Cain and Abel offered their sacrifices on 
it; that on this Noah erected his altar and that un¬ 
der the rock can yet be heard the waters of the de¬ 
luge; that Abraham brought Isaac to this spot to 
offer him as a sacrifice; that the Ark of the Conve- 
nant was concealed and still lies under this rock. 
On one of my visits I was allowed to sound a spot 
with a cane and there must be a hollow beneath. 


An Ancient Threshing Floor 

All of the above is legend. Coming to the scrip¬ 
ture story, there is but little doubt that this great 
rock was the Threshing Floor of Oman, where 
David offered the sacrifice when the city on the 
other mount was saved, and later he selected it as 
the site for the temple afterwards built by his son, 
Solomon. 

When the Romans under Titus destroyed the 
Jewish temple, they erected an altar to heathen 
gods on the spot. Next the Christians secured the 
place, but they were so set against the Jews that 
the place was desecrated and the Holy Place was 
made as a dung hill. 

Then came the Caliph Omar, who cleansed the 
sacred site and erected a temple upon it. When 
this showed signs of decay, another building was 
erected. This was in 691 A. D. Something like a 
hundred and twenty years later, the building was 
greatly improved, and with the exception of vast 


104 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


improvements from time time, this same building 
is the one we see today. 

On the southern part of this temple area in the 
sixth century was erected a magnificent Christian 
Cathedral which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 
When the Mohammedans came, they converted this 
cathedral into a mosque and it is called Mosque El- 
Aksa and is said to be the largest individual struc¬ 
ture in Jerusalem. 

The Jews’ Wailing Plage 

To give an accurate description of these great 
buildings would take a book in itself. But it is easy 
to see how this area is sacred to Christain, Jew and 
Mohammedan. To enter these sacred shrines, one 
must wear the large slippers provided by the at¬ 
tendants. 

At the side of the temple area is the Jews’ Wail¬ 
ing Place. When they had the temple it meant 
death to a Gentile who would enter the Holy Sanc¬ 
tuary. Now the Jew is not allowed to enter. He 
can go only to the wall and weep, repeating the La¬ 
mentations of Jeremiah and pray for the time when 
he will wrest the sacred temple from the enemies. 


CHAPTER XV 


The Church of the Holy Sepulcher 

*T*HE most interesting place in Jerusalem to all 
Catholic people is the Church of the Holy 
Sepulcher. It is a large structure and cost three 
million dollars. Some one has called it a religious 
museum, there being more than thirty so-called 
sacred spots within it. 

This church is the hotbed of superstition. It 
make^one heartsick to see the ignorance and super¬ 
stition displayed on every hand, and yet one cannot 
help being moved by the devotion of many of the 
worshippers. 

Here they show you the place where He was 
crowned with thorns; the place where He was 
scourged; the rock upon which the cross was lifted 
and the very cavity into which it dropped. They 
show you a piece of the cross itself, the place where 
the Virgin Mary stood and the very spot where the 
centurion stood when he said, “This is the Son of 
God.” 

I saw well-dressed people get down and kiss the 
Stone of Unction, where they say his body laid. In 
fact this entire stone has been worn smooth by the 
lips of multiplied millions who have lavished their 
kisses upon it. 

Many So-called Sacred Places 

Under the great dome of the church is the so- 
called tomb of Christ. It is enclosed in a chapel of 
white marble. This is some twenty-five feet long, 


106 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

twenty feet high and nearly as wide. The door is 
so low that one has to stoop to get in. Glass had to 
be put on the sacred marble slab to keep the kisses 
of the pilgrims from wearing the stone away. 

A priest is always inside who sprinkles holy water 
upon the faithful and receives their gifts. As this 
tomb belongs to the Greek Catholic Church, by far 
the greater share of pilgrims are Russian. But I 
saw rich and poor from all nations entering the 
tomb. 

Before the war, fifty to sixty thousand Russians 
came to Jerusalem every year. The value of their 
offerings was simply enormous. A life-sized image 
of the Virgin Mary in the church is covered with 
diamonds and jewels. It is made of wax and 
dressed in the finest silk. On the wax fingers are 
many diamond rings, all gifts from the faithful. 

On the lap of this image lies a great heart made 
of pure gold and studded with diamonds. This 
was a gift from Emperor Josef of Austria, who it is 
said poured wealth into this church. 

The Wealth of a Kingdom 

With a few others, I was permitted to see some 
of the riches of this church. It is said that these 
treasures are scarcely ever shown, except at Easter 
time. I never expect to see again so many priceless 
jewels, precious stones and diadems. The vest¬ 
ments alone are worth a kingdom. 

The Roman Catholics, Armenians, Abyssinians 
and others as well, have chapels in this church. All 
are fanatical and armed soldiers have to be there 
night and day to keep them apart. Only last Easter, 
three Coptic priests blocked the way of some Ro¬ 
man Catholic priests. They were arrested at once. 


A Near Tragedy Averted 107 

and at this writing have not been released from 
prison. 

Mr. Carpenter says that some time ago a gigantic 
candle was sent to Jerusalem for the Church of the 
Holy Sepulcher. It was nine feet high, two feet 
thick, and looked like a real candle. It was sup¬ 
posed to have been lighted while the Easter service 
was in progress and when many thousands of peo¬ 
ple of all kinds were there. 

A Candle Filled With Dynamite 

When the shipment arrived at Jaffa, it was held 
for duty by the customs officers, who sent word for 
the priests to come and get it. For some reason 
they did not go after it and it was cut open at Jaffa. 
To the unbounded astonishment of all, it had five 
thousand little dynamite balls inside. 

Had this exploded during the Easter service when 
the church was filled with ten thousand worship¬ 
pers, the result would have been worse than at the 
church in Paris when the German shell struck it on 
Easter Sunday. 

The Greek church is divided into factions and 
they have trouble among themselves. They are 
the most powerful church organization in Pales¬ 
tine, holding property worth many millions of dol¬ 
lars. They have monasteries, convents and hospi¬ 
ces scattered all over the land. 

Carpenter further says: “Some of the places are 
so valuable that the priests in charge are said to pay 
a lump sum of a thousand dollars a year or more 
for the privilege of presiding in them, expecting to 
recoup themselves from the gifts of the pilgrims. 
Here in Jerusalem, there are thirty-five Greek mon¬ 
asteries and other buildings managed by six hun¬ 
dred monks.” 


108 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 
Largest Hotel in the World 

Northwest of Jerusalem in the outskirts of the 
city, the Greek church people have vast property 
interests. Many of the buildings are now used by 
the English military authorities. The great hospice 
has been spoken of as the largest hotel in the world. 
As many as ten thousand people have been ac¬ 
commodated at one time. The hospice as a whole 
is said to cover ten acres of ground, and is sur¬ 
rounded by a high wall. This was used almost 
wholly for the Russian pilgrims. 

While speaking of this great hospice, I will men¬ 
tion one of the most enjoyable evenings I spent in 
Jerusalem. It was at the American colony, which 
is in this neighborhood. The evening was spent in 
singing and social service. Refreshments were 
served and all had a general good time. 

The American Colony in Jerusalem 

This American Colony was founded by Dr. Spaf- 
ford, whose talented daughter is one of the chief 
lights in it at the present time. The Spaffords were 
well-to-do people, members of the Presbyterian 
church in Chicago. In the year 1881 they with 
more than a dozen other people, moved to Jerusa¬ 
lem, intending to spend their time and money in 
Christian work in the Holy Land. The story of 
Mr. and Mrs. Spafford and their children being 
shipwrecked and their three children drowned and 
the vow they made together to devote their lives to 
Christian work if they were saved is a most won¬ 
derful story. Their going to Jerusalem to live 
later on was the outcome of that vow. 

During the years, these people have been joined 
by others from Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Pennsyl- 



Tombs on hillside near Jerusalem. Photo by Henry Wiederhold. 






Photos by H. C. HecJcerman and M. O. Oeil. 

Place of the stoning of Stephen. 

Station on the Yia Dolorosa. 










Living by the Golden Rule 


111 


vania and New England. They first had all things 
in common, but soon found that they must have a 
regular income and established the American Col¬ 
ony stores in Jerusalem, just inside the Jaffa Gate. 

This is the only one-price store I saw in Palestine 
and where you will be told the truth. This colony 
also has a bakery and shoe shop as well as an art 
school. The membership of the colony is about 
eighty. The married folks live in separate apart¬ 
ments, but all eat at the same table, with worship 
both morning and evening. 

I never saw a more accomplished or happier lot 
of people. They take the Bible as it reads and try 
to live up to the Golden Rule. The Y. M. C. A. sec¬ 
retary in Jerusalem told me that this American 
Colony is doing an immense amount of good and 
practices real Christianity. I found that they h^ve 
guest apartments and take Christian people in at 
less than regular hotel rates, and often refuse to 
take anything from from missionaries and Chris¬ 
tian workers. 



Upper- 

Lower- 


. , „ Photos by M. G. Geil. 

-Absalom s Pillar near Wall of Jerusalem. 

-The Golden Gate of Jerusalem—It is walled up today. 









CHAPTER XVI 


Interesting Places Around Jerusalem 

T HIS book gives only some bird’s-eye glimpses 
of the Holy Land and many interesting places 
are not even mentioned. This chapter will give 
some idea of the variety of interesting spots in and 
round the city of the Great King. 

On a Sunday morning I left the hotel at seven- 
fifteen, and first went to a holy communion service 
at a Greek-Arabic church. The music was a sort 
of a chant and there was no preaching service. All 
the people stood throughout the service. Women 
went around kissing pictures, altars, and even the 
priests. 

Next I hurried to a service at the Church of the 
Holy Sepulcher. This church was filled with wor¬ 
shippers. All classes, races, conditions and colors 
of folks were there. Each of the seven sects were 
having their own services in their respective chap¬ 
els. In some of these the service lasted two hours, 
but I stayed only half an hour. 

Oldest Protestant Church in Jerusalem 

Next, was a Sunday School at Christ Church, 
which is just opposite the Tower of David. This is 
the oldest Protestant church in Jerusalem, and 
theirs is the first Protestant church building erected 
in the Near East. The Sunday School was for Jew¬ 
ish children. 

The next stop was at the American Protestant 
church outside the city wall and near the Russian 


114 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


Hospice. The Sunday School was held in Arabic, 
except an English Bible class. Following the Sun¬ 
day School, the minister, Reverend E. 0. Jago from 
Ohio, preached a splendid sermon on the character 
of Samson. 

At four in the afternoon it was my pleasure to 
speak at the Y. M. G. A. The American Consul pre¬ 
sided, the music was excellent, the room packed 
and the service was enjoyable, for the speaker at 
least. Tea was served immediately following. 

At six o’clock I went to Christ Church for the 
English service. It was largely the Episcopal serv¬ 
ice. The sermon by the regular minister was on 
the character of Solomon and the last words of the 
Apostle Paul. The audience was fairly large. 
From eight-thirty to ten-thirty, at the American 
Colony Service mentioned in the last chapter. 

The Upper Room 

A very interesting place is the Upper Room where 
the Last Supper is said to have been held. The 
room is a portion of an old mediaeval church. The 
ceiling is vaulted. The stone upon which the disci¬ 
ples sat while Jesus washed their feet is pointed out, 
as are other relics. Perhaps none of these things 
are more than a few hundred years old. This is 
attached to the Tomb of David. 

It is interesting to note that when the Master sent 
the two disciples to find the guest chamber where 
He was to eat the Passover, He told them to go into 
the city and they would meet a man bearing a 
pitcher of water. Now, to carry water was woman’s 
work, and it was so uncommon to see a man with a 
pitcher of water that they were sure to see him. 


Houses With Flat Tops 


115 


The houses of Jerusalem practically all have flat 
tops. A wall a couple of feet high runs around the 
edge to keep people from falling off. The largest 
and best rooms are usually on the housetop and the 
guest chamber is always there. So the guest 
chamber where the Passover was celebrated and 
the Lord’s Supper instituted was an upper room. 

The Church of the Redeemer is a German Luth¬ 
eran Church that was dedicated with great pomp 
by the former German Emperor when he visited 
the city in 1898. It is tiresome to go up the steps to 
the top of the tower, but from this the view is per¬ 
haps the best in the city. 

Lord’s Prayer in Many Languages 

Speaking of churches, reminds me of the “Church 
of the Lord’s Prayer” on the side of the Mount of 
Olives. Here the Lord’s prayer is inscribed in 
thirty-two different languages. The^ Carmelite 
nunnery, which is a part of it, is said to be erected 
over the spot where tradition says Christ taught 
this prayer to his disciples. In this nunnery the 
nuns have so divided the time that one is always 
praying, so that in this building every hour, day and 
night, all the year around, some one is praying. 

It is said that each nun digs her own grave, and, 
when she is about to die, her one desire is to be 
dressed in a shroud and carried into the church so 
she will die where she has prayed so long and earn¬ 
estly. 

The Garden of Gethsemene 

The Garden of Gethsemane is not far from this 
church. There is little doubt but this is the true 
site; the old olive trees in the garden are hundreds 



Photos by John H. Hauberg and Henry Wiederhold. 

Reputed site of the Palace of Caiaphas. 

The Mountain of Olives. 

The Garden of Gethsemane—priest standing by the Tree of 
Agony. 












Many Interesting Places 


117 


of years old and perhaps are sprouts from the trees 
that were there when Jesus lived. 

The garden has a high wall around it and covers 
less than two acres of ground. A magnificent 
church has just been erected at the south end. The 
historic olive tree that is pointed out as the one 
under which Jesus prayed, is not more than twenty 
or thirty feet from the church. 

The Grotto of the Agony is not far from the gar¬ 
den and near it the so-called Virgin’s Tomb. Go¬ 
ing down a long flight of stairs you see a lot of un¬ 
derground chapels and tombs, shrines and so-called 
sacred relics. 

On the east, between Jerusalem and the Mount of 
Olives, is the Kidron Valley and the Garden of Geth- 
semane is just across it on the western slope of 
Olivet. 


Absalom’s Pillar 

Going down this valley you pass large cemeteries 
and Absalom’s Pillar and the tombs of Saint James, 
Zachariah, and many noted Bible men. 

South of Jerusalem, is the Valley of Hinnom and 
at the junction where the two valleys meet are many 
interesting places. 

Here is Isaiah’s Tree, so-called. In the old days 
men were sometimes executed by being placed in 
the hollow of a tree and then sawn asunder. Tra¬ 
dition says that Isaiah was so executed on this spot. 

The miserable little village of Siloam is near, as 
is the Pool of Siloam, where Jesus sent the blind 
man to wash his eyes. 

The water in this pool comes from a spring called 
the Virgin’s Fountain far away, by means of an 
underground tunnel almost a mile long. 


118 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


Pool of Siloam 

In the old days the Pool of Siloam was within the 
city walls and one of the acts of Hezekiah was to 
make a conduit to bring the water into the city. 

Some years ago an inscription on the side of the 
rock in the pool itself was discovered, which proved 
to be an account of boring this tunnel. The in¬ 
scription was in the ancient Hebrew of Isaiah’s 
time; he lived during the reign of Hezekiah. 

Speaking of pools, reminds me of one in the city 
called the Pool of Bethesda, which is mentioned in 
Saint John 5:2, as having live porches. A recent 
excavation shows that it was eighty feet deep and 
covers an acre. 

At the entrance to this pool the story of the lame 
man’s cure is written in more than ninety lan¬ 
guages, so anyone who can read at all can find the 
story in his own language. 


CHAPTER XVII 


Jericho, the Dead Sea and Jordan 

O NE of the great surprises of Palestine today is 
the wonderful system of highways. It must 
have cost many thousand dollars to build the auto¬ 
mobile road from Jerusalem to Jericho. It is per¬ 
haps twenty-five or thirty miles long, and the way 
it winds around down the mountain side almost 
makes one hold his breath at times. 

Leaving Jerusalem, the road crosses the Kidron 
near the Garden of Gethsemane, skirts around the 
Mount of Olives, passes Bethany and the site of 
Bethphage, passes the Apostles Spring where you 
always see shepherds watering their flocks, through 
Robbers’ Valley and past the Samaritan Inn, (peo¬ 
ple are robbed at the latter place today rather than 
the former), and on down, down into the Jordan 
Valley, which has been called the “cellar of the 
world.” 

Jericho is really the hottest city on earth where 
people live. The old saying, “Go to Jericho,” is 
very expressive when you really understand it. The 
modern Jericho does not amount to much. It is 
practically kept alive by the great fountain of pure 
water, which makes an oasis on the desert. 

Water Supply Cleansed 

This is undoubtedly the fountain which was 
cleansed by the prophet Elisha shortly after the 
translation of Elijah to the better world. 





Photos by John H. Hauberg and Miss Breithaupt. 

The Dead Sea. 

Robbers Valley on way from Jerusalem to Jericho. 
Apostles’ Well on way from Jerusalem to Jericho. 













The Scarlet Thread 


121 


We are especially interested in the old city of 
Jericho, which dates back to Bible times. Some 
of the ruins have been uncovered quite recently. 

The city of Jericho in Joshua’s time was not a 
large city. You can see much of it at the present 
time. It was surrounded by walls which were 
strong towers. 

In the ruins, you can see the old mills they used 
for grinding, jars in which they carried water, jugs 
with their clay stoppers, pottery covered with a 
light colored glaze, and many other age-old relics. 

In this city lived Rahab, the woman who kept a 
boarding house and assisted the spies to get away. 
She hid them under stalks of flax and later let them 
down on the outside of the wall with a rope, but 
made them promise to spare her household when 
the city was taken. 

When the Israelites came marching around Jeri¬ 
cho, Rahab placed a scarlet thread or cloth in her 
window, according to the arrangement made with 
the spies, and when the walls fell and the city was 
taken, Rahab and her household were saved. 
Afterwards she married one of the princes of Judah 
and through her line came King David and the fam¬ 
ily of our Lord. 

Zaccheus Climbed a Sycamore Tree 

The Jericho of Jesus’ day was the second city by 
that name, and it was honored with several visits 
of the Lord. On one of these occasions, Jesus sur¬ 
prised His own disciples by calling Zaccheus, the 
tax collector, from a sycamore tree and went home 
with him to dinner. 

The last visit of Jesus to Jericho was a great day 
for blind Bartimaeus, the beggar. He had heard of 



Photos by M. G. Geil. 

At Elisha’s Fountain and the ruins of ancient Jericho. 

















On the Shores of the Dead Sea 


123 


Jesus and made up his mind that if he ever came to 
Jericho nothing could keep him from rushing to 
him; his faith was rewarded. 

This second Jericho must have been an important 
city for it was surrounded with palm trees, and was 
the winter home of Herod for he had a palace there 
and died in it, according to the best accounts ob¬ 
tainable. 

The Dead Sea is one of the most remarkable 
bodies of water on the globe, being about thirteen 
hundred feet below the level of the Mediterranean, 
which is but about fifty miles away. It is about 
forty-seven miles long and from three to nine miles 
wide. 


Dead Sea Water Salty 

Nothing can live in the waters of the Dead Sea, 
for they contain five times as much salt as the salt 
waters of the ocean. Fish that are swept down by 
the waters of the Jordan die as soon as they get 
into these deadly waters. 

Twenty years ago I had a swim in the Dead Sea, 
and the other month I sat in an automobile and 
laughed at others who had the experience for the 
first time. 

As mentioned in another chapter, there are salt 
• works on the banks of the Dead Sea, but I did not 
learn as to the success of the industry. 

Between the seas of life and death, Galilee on the 
north and the Dead Sea on the south, runs the Jor¬ 
dan river, and although it is hardly as long as the 
Amazon is wide at its mouth, yet it is the most fa¬ 
mous river on earth. 



Photos by Dr. Sunkle. 

Upper—The River Jordan where the Israelites crossed into 
Canaan. 

Center—Fountain of Elisha at Jericho. 

Lower—Bedouins of the Plains of the Jordan. 











The River Jordan 


125 


A World-Famous River 

The Jordan never had a city of any size upon its 
banks. It never had a boat of any size upon its 
waters. Until recently, it never had a bridge across 
it. Now there is a foot bridge just south of the Sea 
of Galilee, a railroad bridge across it a few miles 
further south and a toll bridge about a dozen miles 
north of the Dead Sea. 

The river is so shallow that it can be easily forded 
and the bridges, except the railroad bridge, are 
hardly necessary, except when the river is high. It 
is in a valley within a valley, and when it overflows 
it covers only the inner valley which is a half mile 
wide at various points. 

It was during the time of overflow when its 
waters parted for the Children of Israel to cross, 
and it was this fact that so completely took the peo¬ 
ple by surprise at the time they felt safest. 

Great Events Recalled 

The fords of the Jordan, nearly opposite Jericho, 
call to mind many great historical incidents. It 
was here the Israelites crossed under the leadership 
of Joshua; here, Elijah smote the waters with his 
mantle and they parted so that he and Elisha 
crossed, and later, when Elisha crossed alone, it 
was at this same spot. 

It was near this place that Elisha made the ax to 
swim which the young man had borrowed, and was 
so worried because it was lost in the river. 

Rut the greatest event that occurred at this spot 
was the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and 
when from heaven came not only the Spirit of God 
descending upon Him, but also the voice from 



•■Is v.v.sv?-. \ ; 

. 




Threshing floor near Bethany. Photo by Miss Maude Parsons. 










The Mount of Temptation 


127 


heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom 
I am well pleased.” 

On one side of this spot back in the distance 
stands old Mount Nebo, from which Moses looked 
over Canaan, and on the other side is the Mount 
of Temptation, where Jesus had the struggle with 
the Devil and put him to flight. 

Going back to Jerusalem, I halted at Bethany 
and went down into the tomb from which Lazarus 
came forth at the call of Jesus, and the site of the 
home at which the Master so often stopped. 



Photos by Dr. Sunkle. 

Upper—Palestine women drawing water. 

Center—Valley of Hinnom and Pool of Lower Gihon near 
Jerusalem. 

Lower—A scene in Bethlehem. 









CHAPTER XVIII 


Bethlehem and Hebron 

B ETHLEHEM is but a half dozen miles south 
of Jerusalem. One of the best highways in 
Palestine is between these two cities. It is well 
macadamized with hard limestone. I saw this high¬ 
way in the making. Women pounded most of the 
rock. A limestone wall is on either side of the 
highway a good share of the distance. The stone 
is almost chalk white and dust is always in the air. 

There are many little fields between Jerusalem 
and Bethlehem. Olive and fig orchards abound. 
Wherever soil is found it is fertile; grain or almost 
anything will grow. The great lack is moisture. 
Perhaps the time will come when this country will 
he again irrigated, as it was in the days of Solomon. 
If so, it will produce in great abundance. 

I never saw such grapes grow anywhere as in 
Palestine. On the side of a rock-covered mountain 
you will see a grape vineyard. The vines almost 
cover the rocks and great bunches of grapes hang 
between the rocks, some of them as large as a 
small bucket. 


An Ancient Highway 

Every foot of the ground in this neighborhood 
is historic. Abraham went over these hills until 
he was footsore. It was on yonder mountain in the 
city, Mount Moriah, that he went to offer his son 
Isaac as a sacrifice. 



% 










Wonderful Memories of Bethlehem 131 

Jacob and his descendants often traveled this 
way. David was born nearby, and in the valley 
some distance away had the struggle with Goliath. 
On these hills he kept his father’s sheep and learned 
to play the harp. He also studied the stars and 
later wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God 
and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” 

In the fields yonder, the wonderful story of Ruth 
had its setting. It was on the side of the hill that 
the shepherds were watching their flocks when the 
angel appeared saying, “Behold, I bring you tidings 
of great joy, which shall be to all people. For 
unto you is born this day in the City of David a 
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” 

It was over these hills that the “wise men from 
the East” came looking for the new-born king! 
Now we are passing Rachel’s Tomb, which is but 
a mile away from the city, and here the sound of 
the weeping mothers was heard when Herod slew 
their new-born sons! 

The City of Bethlehem 

The city of Bethlehem contains less than ten 
thousand people. It has always been a small city, 
but at that is one of the cleanest in Palestine. Its 
women are good looking and they are always smil¬ 
ing. It is perhaps more blessed to live in Bethle¬ 
hem than in any other city in Palestine. 

The great sight in Bethlehem is the Church of 
the Nativity. It is the oldest church in the world 
which has been continually used for Christian 
worship. It was built nearly sixteen hundred years 
ago. 

Of course, I again went down into the grotto be¬ 
low and saw the star that is said to mark the place 



Photo by Dai’ D. Da-.y. 

Well op the Magi between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. 















The Pools of Solomon 


133 


where Jesus was born! Many candles are burning 
around it continuously. Nearby is the manger- 
cradle which was cut from the solid rock. There 
are many other caverns beneath the building and 
many interesting stories and traditions are told 
concerning them. 

Pools of Solomon 

Not far from Bethlehem on the way to Hebron 
are the Pools of Solomon. There are three of these 
reservoirs and they will hold forty millions of 
gallons of water. They are fed by great springs 
up in the mountains, and in the days of Solomon 
gave Jerusalem its water system. 

Remains of the old conduit and aqueduct can 
be seen today. The pipe was constructed of stones, 
matched and laid together with a sort of mortar. 
The hole made in them through which the water 
flowed was fifteen inches in diameter. 

The British have partly restored this water sys¬ 
tem, only the iron pipe now used is much smaller. 
The water supply of Jerusalem is still inadequate 
and water is expensive. The proprietor of the 
Hotel Allenby told me that his water bill is one 
hundred fifty dollars per month. 

Continuing from Solomon’s Pools toward the 
city of Hebron, the road passes a spring at which 
many believe that Philip baptized the eunuch, as 
recorded in the eighth chapter of the Acts. In 
ancient times a Christian church was located at the 
spring but it is not there today. 

Many Notables Called Hebron Home 

Hebron is one of the old cities in Palestine. The 
names of Abraham, Sarah, Joshua, Caleb, Abner, 





One of Solomon's Pools which furnish fi> vvaikr supply for Jerusalem. Photo by Maude Parsons. 



















The Cave of Machpelah 


135 


David, Absalom, Rehoboam and others are asso¬ 
ciated with it. It contains nearly twenty thousand 
people, nearly all of whom are Moslems. 

The people of Hebron are very fanatical. They 
are filthy, bigoted, and behind any other city in Pal¬ 
estine in progress. Some of the streets are dark, 
filthy tunnels; it almost makes one sick to go 
through them. The chief work is that of tanning 
goat skins, making waterbags, pottery and glass. 
Before the war there were thirty glass furnaces in 
operation, but now not more than half a dozen are 
in use. 

The chief place of interest is the Gave of Mach¬ 
pelah. I had a man trying for a week in Jerusalem 
to get permission to allow me to visit this cave, but 
all efforts were in vain. After the war it was 
opened for visitors at times, but is now closed most 
of the time. 


Pool of Hebron 

Another interesting place is the Pool of Hebron. 
It is a large, square stone receiver, about one hun¬ 
dred and thirty feet each way. Here Rechab and 
Baanah, the murderers of Ishbosheth, were hanged 
by David, as recorded in the fourth chapter of II 
Samuel. 

A mile or so from Hebron is the famous Abra¬ 
ham’s Oak at Mamre, beneath which it is said that 
Abraham pitched his tent. While the tree is very 
large, thirty-two feet in circumference, and very 
old, yet I could not believe it to be anything like four 
thousand years old. 

I also visited the ruins of a wonderful old build¬ 
ing about half a mile from the road. Some of the 
stones are very massive; it is said to be on the site 
of the home of Abraham. Here, too, are some of 


136 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


the greatest vineyards in all Palestine. It is the 
Valley of Eshcol, where the spies secured the large 
bunches of grapes which they carried back to camp 
when they were sent by Moses to spy out the land. 


CHAPTER XIX 


The Lure of Egypt 

T HAVE visited Egypt four times, and really it is 
more interesting each time. Alexandria is 
spoken of as the Front Door of Egypt and I first 
went in that way. Port Said is the Back Door and 
my second visit was from that way. Then enter¬ 
ing the Red Sea at the east I traveled twelve hun¬ 
dred miles on this sea, passing Mount Sinai and the 
place where the Children of Israel crossed, then to 
the Suez Canal and by train across Goshen to Cairo. 

Recently, I came down from Palestine on the 
railroad the English built during the war. For 
more than a hundred miles the road is along the 
pipe line through which the waters of the river 
Nile flow into Palestine, as mentioned in a former 
chapter. Then across the Suez Canal at Kantura 
and on to Cairo. 

Cairo contains nearly eight hundred thousand 
people and is a- little world. It has been called 
the most attractive city on earth for tourists. Its 
million dollar hotels, its delightful climate, its an¬ 
cient wonders, its modern improvements, all make 
it a fascinating city, to say the least. 

Beggars and Flies 

But it has its drawbacks. Parts of Cairo are 
dirty and foul-smelling. The plague of flies and 
lice has never ceased. Its beggars are the most 
persistent, its guides the most bigoted, and its 


/ 



Photos by John H. Hauberg and Miss Breithaupt. 

A WEDDING' PROCESSION IN EGYPT. 

In Old Thebes where bricks were made without straw. 

Our company of travelers at Luxor. 










Six Thousand Years of History 


139 


traders the most conscienceless that can be found. 

The people of Cairo are mostly Moslems. It is 
said there are four hundred mosques in the city. 
Some of them, like the Citadel, are wonderful, for 
this great building is made of alabaster. For years 
the largest university in the world, from the stand¬ 
point of number of students, was in Cairo. 

In and around Cairo you see six thousand years 
of history every day. The oldest and the newest are 
side by side. This is true in manners, customs, 
dress, transportation, farming, irrigating, home 
life, and methods of work. 

In the great Museum in Cairo you also see six 
thousand years of history in the same room. You 
see the mummies of Pharoah, who oppressed the 
Israelites, and many other dignitaries of the old 
days. You see very many of the treasures that 
have so recently been taken from the Tomb of King 
Tut, after having been hidden away in the darkness 
for more than three thousand years. 


The City of the Sun 

Like Palestine, Egypt has many so-called sacred 
places. They show you the tree under which the 
Virgin and the Holy Child rested some time. This 
is at Heliopolis which was the “On” of Egypt where 
Joseph married the daughter of a priest (Gen. 
41:45). The obelisk that stands in Central Park 
New York was taken from Heliopolis. One obelisk 
still stands in the neighborhood. This is said to be 
the oldest obelisk in Egypt today. It is a block of 
red granite sixty-six feet high. The picture of the 
man plowing was taken less than one hundred feet 
from this obelisk. 



Photos by Curtis Glick and Henry Wiederhold. 

Upper—A Mohammedan Mosque in Cairo. 

Center—Traditional spot in the River Nile where Pharaoh’s 
Daughter found Moses. 

Lower—The opening at the tomb of King Tutenkhamen 

WHERE SO MANY TREASURES WERE FOUND. 

















The Great Pyramia 


141 


In the city of Cairo, I visited the cave where it is 
said that the Holy Family lived for some time. It 
is in or beneath a Coptic church, and the surround¬ 
ings are about as filthy as can be imagined. I saw 
the exact spot (?) where Moses was found in the 
bullrushes by the daughter of Pharoah, saw what 
is left of the storehouses where Joseph stored up 
the grain to be used during the years of famine. I 
actually handled some of the bricks that were made 
without straw by the Israelites, if the guide told the 
truth. One thing is unquestioned, however, and 
that is I saw many of the same monuments and in¬ 
scriptions that Abraham looked upon when he 
palmed off his wife as his sister and got into trouble 
about it. 


Sphinx and Pyramids 

I saw many of the same inscriptions that were 
familiar to Moses when he was in the schools of 
Egypt. Also, that most aged of all relics of human 
workmanship, the Sphinx, whose staring stone eyes 
had watched the sun rise for thousands of years 
when Abraham was born. 

Perhaps the greatest of all sights to most people 
is the Pyramid of Cheops, which covers thirteen 
acres of ground and is four hundred and fifty feet 
high. This great pile of stone is but a dozen miles 
west of Cairo. Twenty years ago most of the coun¬ 
try between this Pyramid and Cairo was desert. 
Now it is one vast field of alfalfa, waving grain, 
wheat, barley, cotton and vegetable gardens in 
which are not only leek, onions and garlic, as in the 
days of old, but melons and all such as well. 

While a trolley line will take you to within a 
quarter of a mile of the big pyramid, an automo¬ 
bile will take you within fifty feet of its base. It is 



Photos by Theodore Smith and Paul Boyd. 

Views of the Sphinx which is said to be the oldest relic 

OF HUMAN WORKMANSHIP IN EXISTENCE-GREAT PYRAMID 

IN THE DISTANCE. 













The Three Lost Arts of Egypt 


143 


lip on a high elevation. It is just one layer of mas¬ 
sive stone upon another, each layer smaller than 
the one upon which it rests. It is a marvelous 
sight, although disappointing to most people at first. 
But it grows on one and the more often one sees it 
the more wonderful it seems. 

A Multitude of Toilers 

Herodotus, the father of history, says that one 
hundred thousand men toiled for twenty years on 
this one pyramid. It took ten years to build the 
great causeway from the quarry to the place the 
pyramid is located. These ancient people either 
had ways of moving and lifting great masses of 
stone that we have not discovered, or else every 
stone in the structure might be called a stone of 
sorrow, because of the broken backs and crushed 
bodies it cost. 

It is known that at least three of the arts in which 
the Egyptians were skilled have been lost. The 
first is the art of embalming the bodies of the dead. 
Second is the coloring with vegetable dyes. I have 
seen many paintings in the tombs of the kings 
which were made more than three thousand years 
ago, and the colors were just as bright and sharp 
as though they were made but last week. Third, 
it seems almost beyond question that these ancient 
Egyptians had some secret way of prolonging hu¬ 
man life to the extent that a man could live two 
hundred years and more. 

A Valuable Art Lost 

This secret of prolonging life is by far the great¬ 
est of all the lost arts, and were it not for the fact 
that the Egyptians actually knew how to do some 














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A Great Builder 


145 


things that no other nation has ever discovered, it 
would be unbelievable. It is possible that they had 
many other secrets that are among the lost arts, but 
these at least seem to have been lost when the great 
Alexandrian library was destroyed. 

It was about 640 A. D. that the Moslems came in¬ 
to Egypt and undertook to destroy all books that 
did not agree with the Koran. This great Alex¬ 
andrian library furnished fuel for four thousand 
baths for six months, so we are told. 

I may say, in passing, that Rameses II was by far 
the most famous of all Egyptian kings. He reigned 
for sixty-seven years and built half of the temples 
in Egypt. I have listened for hours to the story of 
his exploits, as the guide translated the inscriptions 
and hieroglyphics on the pillars and walls of some 
of the massive temples. 

These writings represent this king as holding up 
his enemies by the hair as he destroyed them, after 
which he is represented as offering sacrifices to his 
god. For generations there was war between 
Egypt and surrounding nations, the victories of 
which are on the monuments today. Bible events, 
such as the enslaving of the Israelites, are on these 
monuments. 

Into the Center of the Pyramid 

About forty-five feet from the ground on one side 
of the big pyramid is an opening and a small tun¬ 
nel descends to the center far below the bottom of 
the structure. About one hundred and twenty-five 
feet from the opening the tunnel forks and one di¬ 
vision goes up into the heart of the pyramid. I 
crawled up this tunnel about one hundred and 
thirty feet and found myself at the entrance of the 



Photo by Henry Wiederhold. 

The little Sphinx at Memphis. 













The Heart of the Pyramid 


147 


Great Hall which is a hundred and fifty feet long 
and twenty-eight feet high. Then twenty-two feet 
through a narrow passage and I was in the King’s 
Chamber. This is thirty-five feet long, half as wide 
and nineteen feet high. Above this are five cham¬ 
bers and to this day no one knows what use was 
made of them. 

In the King’s Chamber is a red granite sarco¬ 
phagus, seven and a half feet long and nearly 
half as wide and deep. The lid is gone and thefe 
are no inscriptions in sight. This chamber is in 
the center of the pyramid. The Queen’s Chamber 
is nearly a hundred feet below this, a tunnel reach¬ 
ing from the Grand Hall to it. The passage is 
very difficult. All told, there are more than sev¬ 
enty pyramids in Egypt, all but three being up the 
river Nile some distance. 

I spent a day at Memphis and Sakarah, fourteen 
miles south of Cairo, visiting the pyramids, monu¬ 
ments and tombs at these places. The most inter¬ 
esting tomb is that of King Thi, who lived long be¬ 
fore Abraham. This king was of humble origin 
but his statue is in the museum at Cairo. In the 
tomb are inscriptions and hieroglyphics, rock-cut 
receptables for treasures and jewels that were 
buried with him. The Apis Tombs, or Tombs of 
the Bulls, are very interesting, as are a hundred 
other things. 

A White Walled City 

Memphis is one of the oldest cities in Egpyt. It 
is said that the founder changed the channel of the 
river Nile to get a site that suited him. It was 
called the “White Walled City,” rivaling Babylon 
for magnificence and beauty, if we can believe the 



Photo by Curtis M. Glick. 
Said to be the oldest obelisk in Egypt. 
On the borderline of the Land of Goshen. 

















Great Irrigation Projects 


149 


old records. The great colossal statues of Rameses 
II, lying on the ground, are both interesting and 
wonderful. That you may have an idea of what 
these are like, I am publishing a picture of one of 
them. 

Hundreds of books have been written describing 
Egypt, and yet not nearly all has been told, so one 
hardly gets started in a single article. The popula¬ 
tion at present is about fourteen millions. These 
people all live from the products of a narrow strip 
of land along the Nile. Great irrigation works 
make life possible. But the population is increas¬ 
ing very rapidly and it is said that the most gigantic 
irrigation scheme that has ever been worked out by 
human brain has already been started and when 
completed it will so increase the products that 
Iwenty million people can be cared for. 



Rameses statue at Memphis, Egypt. Photo by Dar D. Daly 








CHAPTER XX 


Luxor, Karnak, Thebes, and King Tut’s Tomb 



HE above named places are about five hun- 


A dred miles up the river Nile from Cairo. 
Much of the distance is through the desert and the 
weather is nearly always hot. I am going to give 
the brief story of the visit to these places as it was 
written on the spot during the latter part of May, 


1924 . 


I have been rambling through the Temple of 
Luxor, which was built more than thirty-four hun¬ 
dred years ago. Until about fifty years ago, this 
temple was completely buried beneath the debris of 
the centuries. My guide was horn in a house built 
upon the ruins. Standing out in front are six 
colossal statues of Rameses II and one obelisk 
which is eighty-two feet high. There used to be 
two obelisks here hut one was given to France and 
is now in the heart of Paris. 

Connected with this temple at Luxor by an 
avenue of Sphinxes, three miles long, is the great 
temple of Karnak. These Karnak ruins cover an 
area of one thousand acres of ground, and are so 
massive that one can hardly believe his own eyes 
as he looks upon them. 


A Wonderful Temple 


The main entrance to this temple is one hundred 
forty-four feet high. I saw the inscription on the 
wall where the Egyptian King Shishak, as the Rible 



Photos by M. G. Geil. 

A view of King Tut’s tomb. 

Going up the valley to King Tut’s tomb. 







The Temple at Karnak 


153 


calls him, is seen commemorating his victory over 
Rehoboam when he sacked Jerusalem and took 
away the treasures of King Solomon. The scene 
on the wall represents the Israelites as being 
brought to Egypt as captives. See I Kings 14:25-26 
and II Chronicles 12:2-19. 

One great hall in this temple is three hundred 
thirty-eight feet long and one hundred seventy feet 
wide. In it there are sixteen rows of gigantic col¬ 
umns (one hundred thirty-four columns) which are 
eleven feet in diameter and eighty feet high. 

In the waters of the sacred lake nearby, I saw 
two natives kill one of the most poisonous snakes in 
Egypt. They kept their mouths covered during 
the battle with the serpent, as the poison emitted 
by the enraged reptile is dangerous, to say the least. 

The singing obelisk is near by. It was once a 
great shaft nearly a hundred feet high, but when 
overthrown, was broken and part has been taken 
away. The upper part still lies there and when 
you slap the point with your hand it sends forth a 
harmonious hum that is most remarkable. No 
scientist has yet been able to explain this strange 
phenomenon. 

I have been in the shadows of the great Colossi 
of Memnon, which guarded the entrance to one of 
the temples in Thebes, the romantic city of one hun¬ 
dred gates and twenty thousand chariots of iron, 
during the old days. 

The Singing Statue 

One of these great statues was the world-famous 
vocal Memnon, which used to give forth a musical 
sound at sunrise in the morning. Scientists discov¬ 
ered that the dampness absorbed by the statue 



Photos by Dr. Dunkle and M. G. Geil. 

Coptic church in Egypt. 

The author at the walled up entrance of King Tut’s tomb. 










The Tomb of King Tut 


155 


during the night time emitted the musical sounds in 
its passage out through certain crevices as the 
morning sun warmed the statue. When these 
crevices were filled, the music stopped, so what the 
ancients thought was the singing of their god, was 
nothing but a natural phenomenon, after all. 

Each of these colossi was a statue made from a 
single stone sixty feet high, representing the god 
seated upon a throne. As I passed by I thought if 
they could speak they could tell a story that would 
make the world shudder. 

Kino Tut’s Tomb 

These days, the central object of interest in Up¬ 
per Egypt, however, is King Tut’s Tomb. Before 
speaking of this I wish to say that there are a great 
many tombs of ancient kings in this locality. I 
have visited many of them and have seen sights 
wonderful to hehold. 

In all the tombs visited, I saw but four mummies. 
These tombs of the kings were robbed of their 
mummies many years ago. The story of how many 
of the mummies were found is thrilling. 

In 1874, a couple of the natives of Thebes discov¬ 
ered a huge cave or shaft filled with a large number 
of royal mummies with a lot of treasures that were 
hidden by the robbers. The coffins indicated that 
they were three Thebian rulers. These two men 
agreed to keep their good fortune secret and profit 
by it. From time to time they sold to tourists rich 
jewels, scarabs, amulets, etc. 

Finally, one of these brothers told his wife where 
they were getting this wealth and of course that let 
the cat out of the bag, and the secret finally became 
known. The great museum in Cairo now contains 



Ruins at the temple of Karnak in Egypt. Photon by M . G. Geil 































The Wealth of a Kingdom 


157 


these royal mummies and many of the treasures 
found with them. 

Hunted Fourteen Years for Tomb 

After fourteen years of searching, the tomb of 
King Tut was found in November, 1922. In it was 
the wealth of a kingdom and the mummy of the 
king himself. I saw in the museum of Cairo very 
many of the treasures that had been locked in the 
bowels of the earth thirty-four hundred years. The 
surprising thing is that many of the articles of 
furniture are of practically the same pattern that 
we use today. 

The outer shrine which contained the body of 
King Tut is seventeen feet long, twelve feet wide 
and nine feet high. This is covered on the outside 
and inside with gold. This was incased in a sec¬ 
ond shrine a little smaller, this in a third still 
smaller, and this in a fourth still smaller which con¬ 
tained the sarcophagus and body. In all, there 
were three thousand square feet of pure gold cover¬ 
ing, about twenty dollars of gold being used to the 
square foot. The gold, jewels, diamonds and all 
relics are estimated at the value of fifty million 
dollars. 

King Tut’s tomb is now sealed up by solid ma¬ 
sonry. It surely would take robbers some time to 
dig throuh the wall, which is of stone and cement. 
It is just below the tomb of Rameses VI and it is 
now certain that it was so securely hidden that 
those who dug the tomb for Rameses VI did not 
know it was there. 

Armed Guards at Entrance of Tomb 

At the entrance to King Tut’s tomb there are a 
couple of small guard houses, and while I do not 



Photos by Dr. Sunkle and M. G. Geil. 
Island of Roda where Moses was found by Pharaoh’s daughter. 
Bricks that were made without straw in Egypt. 














Bricks Without Straw 


159 


know how many soldiers are stationed there at 
present, I counted eight rifles in one of these small 
huts. There are some tents at hand where the 
soldiers sleep while not on duty. 

All this is several miles from Luxor, on the oppo¬ 
site side of the Nile, and in the most desolate and 
hottest valley on earth. The heat and white dust, 
together with the flies that stick until knocked off 
your face, make the whole place almost unbearable 
during the hot season. In fact, I am told that the 
chief reason the tomb is walled up so securely is to 
keep out the terrible summer heat, lest the mummy 
and other things in the tomb be damaged. 

In closing, will say that I handled with my own 
hands, some of the bricks that were made by the 
Israelites, and without straw, of which we read in 
the Bible. It has not rained in this part of the 
country for generations, so they say. 






























CHAPTER XXI 


Beyrout, Sidon, and the Lebanon Mountains 
EARS ago, I was quarantined on an Italian 



steamship in the harbor at Beyrout, Syria, and 
tlie memories of those days haunted me as I again 
entered the harbor. 

Many are the changes during the past few years, 
and Beyrout is now a city containing nearly two 
hundred thousand people. 

About one-fourth of the population is made up 
of Moslems, and they have twenty-three mosques in 
the city. They are very fanatical as a rule. 

Three thousand vessels enter and leave the port 
annually, and the exports of silks, olive oil, etc., 
amount to more than ten million dollars per year 
these times. 

The city has twenty printing plants, twelve Ara¬ 
bic newspapers, six hospitals, thirty-eight churches, 
sixty-five schools for boys and twenty-nine schools 
for girls. 


The Harvard of the Near East 


But the greatest asset to Beyrout is the American 
Protestant University, which was founded in 1863 
by the Presbyterian church. It now has property 
worth a million, and an endowment of about one 
million, one hundred twenty thousand dollars. Its 
fifty-acre campus is dotted with twenty-six build¬ 
ings, some of which are magnificent structures. 

This university is really the Harvard and Yale 
of the Near East, with a faculty of one hundred and 



Photographs by Mr. Lyman and Mr. Wiederhold. 

Upper—Plowing in Egypt. 

Center—Shepherds and Their Floor. 

Lower—At the Tombs of the Kings. 












Students on a Strike 


163 


twenty professors, and more than a thousand stu¬ 
dents. Its graduates are leaders in the great pro¬ 
fessions and industries of many countries. 

One ot the most wonderful sights imaginable is 
from this campus. To the west is the glorious 
Mediterranean, and to the east and south the great 
Lebanon ranges, whose snowy peaks above the 
foothills upon the slopes are almost covered with 
vegetation, mulberry trees and dotted with villages. 

This is a genuine Christian institution, and for 
years it was headed by Dr. Howard Bliss, who 
stamped his personality not only upon the institu¬ 
tion itself, but in the hearts of thousands of stu¬ 
dents who have gone out from its halls. 

Moslem Students on a Strike 

A chapel service is held daily, and at one time the 
Moslem students went on a strike and took an oath 
refusing to attend both chapel services and Bible 
classes. Dr. Bliss informed the striking students 
that the American University is a strictly Christian 
institution, and that its students must attend Bible 
classes and religious services. 

He said to these Moslem students, “Our college 
was established to give the Mohammedan world the 
best the Christian world has. Our aim is to make 
of you, broad-minded, intelligent men, whether 
you continue to be Moslems or become Christians. 

“We believe that the best we have is our reli¬ 
gion, so we are bound to let you know what it is. 
Whether you accept it or not rests with yourselves. 
If, upon investigation, you still think the Moslem 
religion the best, we believe that the knowledge you 
have of our religion will make you better and 
broader Moslems. Beligion is for man, not man 



Photo by Bar D. Daly. 

Dog River, Syria, where Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and 

OTHERS LEFT INSCRIPTIONS ON THE ROCKS WHEN THEY HELD THE PASS. 





Inscriptions Made by Conquerors 


165 


lor religion, and we want you to have the training 
which will make each one of you the best man, 
whether he be Christian or Moslem.” 

A couple of the most delightful hours I spent in 
the Near East was at this university under the di¬ 
rection of Dr. Bayard Dodge, who is now the presi¬ 
dent. 


Inscriptions Made by Many Conquerers 

A tine ride out a dozen miles east from Beyrout 
is to the mouth of Dog Biver. A great natural cliff 
stands out into the sea and the pass at the foot is 
only wide enough for an automobile road. Down 
in the water at the mouth of the river is a rock 
shaped a little like a dog. As there are great holes 
in the rock, some of which reach away back into the 
cliff, the water passing through these caverns makes 
a noise which at times resembles the barking of a 
dog, hence the name, Dog Biver. 

I went up on the side of the cliff and saw the in¬ 
scriptions made by the natives of antiquity as well 
as those of later date which have controlled the 
pass. Among them are Assyrians, Egyptian, Ro¬ 
man and other nations. 

But the greatest drive from Beyrout is down the 
southern coast along the Mediterranean sea to 
Sidon and Tyre. I drove down among the Arme¬ 
nian refugee camps on leaving for Sidon. There are 
many thousands of these refugees in Beyrout. 

The Industrious Armenians 

The Armenian people are perhaps the most in¬ 
dustrious of all in the Near East. They will live 
any way, but their children must go to school. 
They organize their own schools, as in every camp 



Photos by Albert T. Clay in Light on the Old Testament from Babel. 

Upper—So-called Babylonian Scene of the Fall of Man. An 
IMPRESSION OF A SEAL CYLINDER, WITH SACRED TREE, FRUIT, 
and Serpent. 

Center—Home scene in the camp of Arab workmen at Nippur. 
In the foreground an oven (the Old Testament tannur) 
is seen. 

Lower—In the Arab Camp at Nippur, illustrating woman 
grinding corn, the ancient mill for grinding flour. 









The Great Orphanage at Sidon 167 

there are a few who are well enough educated to 
teach. 

I visited some of their shacks and talked with 
them through an interpreter. Almost every per¬ 
son in the camp has a tragic story of how they es¬ 
caped from the hands of the Unspeakable Turk. 

South of Beyrout are thousands of acres of fig 
and mulberry orchards; in fact, all kinds of fruit 
trees. It is a regular Garden of Eden for miles. 
These gardens and orchards are nearly all irri¬ 
gated. 

A splendid automobile highway leads all down 
the coast. One of the most powerful wireless sta¬ 
tions I ever saw in any country is a few miles north 
of old Sidon. 

The Sidon Near East Orphanage 

On the mountain east of Sidon, the Near East Re¬ 
lief has several large orphanages. In one of these 
are hundreds of small children, and I never saw 
such a sight. They gathered around me and others 
like a lot of little chickens. They held out their 
little hands and when I stooped down they climbed 
about me, smiling and talking. 

I never saw a more healthy or happier lot of 
children. When the nurses would pick up one of 
these tots and tell the story of how it was found by 
the wayside, almost starved and more dead than 
alive, I simply could not keep the tears back. 

May I say in this connection that the people who 
have given to the Near East Relief gave much bet¬ 
ter than they ever dreamed. I visited orphanages 
in Sidon, in Beyrout, in Nazareth, in Jerusalem, 
and other places and this work is far more exten¬ 
sive and wonderful than most people ever dreamed. 



Photos by Albert T. Clay. 

Upper—The Babylonian Deluge Story. 

Lower—Excavations within the temple area at Nippur— 
From Light on the Old Testament prom Babel. 










The Old City of Tyre 
A Marvelous Work 


169 


At the time I visited these places, the Near East 
Relief was caring for more than .fifty thousand 
orphans and will have to continue the work for at 
least three years. Whenever possible, the orphans 
are restored to their nearest relatives or put out in 
good homes. Those who are kept are taught to 
earn their own living. They must spend a certain 
amount of time in school. All of these children 
are taught that America has saved them, and you 
should hear them sing, “My Country Tis of Thee!” 

A little farther south is Zaraphath or Sarepta, 
where Elijah stopped with the widow and her son, 
as recorded in I Kings, seventeenth chapter. Still 
farther down is old Tyre, which used to be a great 
city. The prophet said it would be destroyed and 
that fishermen would use the site for drying their 
nets. The old city is gone and the prophecy is lit¬ 
erally fulfilled before your eyes, as you walk about 
the old ruins. 



Photos by H. G. Heckerman. 

•The Ruins of Baalbek. 

A group of Armenian refugees. 









CHAPTER XXII 


Baalbek—The Baal of the Bible 

T AM sitting at the window in my room in the 
Grand New Hotel in Baalbek and within a 
stone’s throw of what some travelers pronounce 
the world’s most stupendous ruins. 

It has been my privilege to visit many of the ruins 
of old Mexico and South America, the great Ming 
Tombs of China, many of the ruins of India, Burma, 
Java and Ceylon. I have seen Karnak, Thebes, and 
crawled into the heart of the great Pyramid of 
Egypt; have climbed upon the Acropolis at Athens, 
walked the streets of Pompeii, rambled through 
the Colosseum, Forum, and the Catacombs of 
Rome, and am ready to take off my hat to Baalbek! 

The ruins of Baalbek are located at the head of 
a valley between the ranges of the Lebanon moun¬ 
tains. It is some fifty miles, as the crow flies, al¬ 
most due north of Damascus. This great valley is 
one of the most productive in this part of Syria. 
It is now early in the month of May, but wheat is 
nearly ready to harvest, while in the Lebanon 
mountains to the west, a snow storm has been rag¬ 
ing all day long, and the top of the range looks now 
like a great snow bank. 

The Baal of the Bible 

We read a great deal about the worship of Baal 
in the Bible. The prefix Baal is also attached to 
the names of many places such as Baal-gad, Baal- 



Photos by John JET. Hauberg. 

Upper—Stone at Baalbek almost seventy feet long. 

Center and lower—Entrances to Catacombs at Baalbek. 






The Wonders of Baalbek 


173 


hamon, Baal-hazor, Baal-hermon, Baal-tamar and 
others; thirteen in all. This means that at these 
places there was a shrine or temple dedicated to 
Baal to accommodate the Baal worshippers in the 
locality. 

But the great central temple of Baal was at Baal- 
beka, which is now known as Baalbek. While 
the modern city only contains some two or three 
thousand inhabitants, it used to be a great city, con¬ 
taining a quarter of a million people or more. 

The Arabs believe that Baalbek is the world’s 
oldest city. They say that Adam and Eve lived 
here and that Gain killed Abel near, and that Aby- 
lene gets its name from Abel; they say, further, that 
Seth died here and that Noah was buried near, and 
show the tomb of Noah, which is a mound two hun¬ 
dred feet long. 

These Arabs also say that Gain built the first city 
here and that later the Tower of Babel was erected 
here. An old Arabic manuscript was found in 
Baalbek which says, “After the flood, when Nim¬ 
rod reigned over Lebanon, he sent giants to rebuild 
the fortress of Baal, which was so named in honor 
of Baal, the god of the Moabites and worshippers of 
the sun.” 


Baalbek the Wonderful 

Baalbek is thought by many to be Tiphsah (also 
known as Baalath) of the Bible mentioned in I 
Kings 4:24, and that it was between Tyre and Pal¬ 
myra, and one of the busiest centers in the world. 
Here Solomon built a temple for his heathen wives. 

This city was the center of the Syro-Phoenician 
religion. People wanted it to be the most wonder¬ 
ful city on earth and gave lavish gifts for its temple. 


174 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

It is thought that when the Greeks took Baalbek 
they renamed it Heliopolis, but when the Romans 
took it a few hundred j^ears later they restored the 
old name. 

As Baal worship was simply the worship of the 
sun, here was built a Temple to the Sun. It seems 
that in Old Testament times this great temple was 
never completed, and when the Romans took it 
they partially completed the Temple to the Sun and 
built the Temple of Jupiter. 

Then came the Christians, who destroyed very 
much of the heathen temples and made part of this 
into a Christian church. Then came the Moslems, 
who were overcome by the Tartars, who with the 
aid of some earthquakes about the same time, prac¬ 
tically destroyed the temples. 

In the sixteenth century, the Moslems took it 
again and began the work of restoration, when a 
great flood came and swept a large portion of the 
city away. 

Many Acres of Ruins 

The marvelous ruins today are wonderful to be¬ 
hold. The temple ruins cover ten acres of ground. 
The whole thing is fifty feet above the level of the 
surrounding area. The Temple of the Sun was 
more than three hundred feet long and nearly two 
hundred feet wide. There were in all fifty-four 
gigantic Corinthian columns supporting the roof. 
Six of these columns are still standing. It is 
twenty-two feet around each of these columns, 
which, with their bases, are eighty feet high. 

Think of great columns seven feet in diameter 
and tall as an eight-story building, standing on end! 
How they were ever raised, no living man knows. 
Each column is in three sections, but they look like 


The Largest Stone Ever Quarried 


175 


one solid block. In these ruins there are two hun¬ 
dred great granite columns three feet in diameter 
and twenty-seven feet long that came from the 
granite quarries far up the river Nile in Egypt. 
How they were conveyed from Egypt to Baalbek 
is a problem. 

In the walls of this temple are the largest stones 
ever quarried, so far as known. I saw the three 
largest, each more than sixty feet long, thirteen 
feet wide, and twelve feet thick. These are up 
some twenty feet from the ground. Eighty of these 
stones laid end to end would reach a mile. 

Largest Stone Ever Quarried 

The quarries are less than a mile away. Here I 
saw the largest stone ever cut from the bed rock. 
It is sixty-eight and one-half feet long, fourteen feet 
wide, and thirteen feet thick. They say it weighs 
fifteen hundred tons, and if broken up it would 
take thirty flat cars to haul it. It has been figured 
out that it would take forty thousand men, all pull¬ 
ing together, to move this stone one-fourth of an 
inch per hour. 

Beneath the temple I saw some of the dungeons 
and rooms where the poor people stayed while at 
Baalbek for worship. Others of these underground 
caverns were used as stables. One of these great 
halls that I went through is four hundred feet long 
and sixteen feet wide. 

In one of these temples was the finest statue of 
the sun god ever discovered. It was made of gold 
and was a lifesize young man, clad in armor, and 
standing between two golden bulls. In his right 
hand was a whip and in his left a thunderbolt and 
some ears of corn. 


Photos by John H. Hauberg. 

Terraced mountain sides op the Lebanon Range. 














A Modern Moses 


177 


This great plain is very fertile and well watered. 
The great springs furnish pure water. Grain and 
fruit of all kinds grow in abundance. But Baalbek 
was the crossroad of the ancient world. 

Only a mile from the temple are some of the 
greatest catacombs I have ever visited. There are 
scores of great chambers cut from the solid rock. 
I saw hundreds of the pick marks, made centuries 
ago, that look as though they were just made. 
Many of these underground chambers were used as 
tombs but some of them are large enough to hold 
hundreds of people. 

A Moses Among His People 

People in this part of the country are very back¬ 
ward. Primitive methods are used by most of 
them. I got acquainted with a young man by the 
name of Michael Harris who was born and brought 
up in the country near Baalbek. 

This young man is a real genius. He was deter¬ 
mined to get an education and went to Beyrout. 
He finally entered the American Protestant College. 
He is now studying agriculture. Hearing of a force 
pump, he procured one, installed it himself, and 
forced the water into his father’s house. It is the 
wonder of the community and others are now try¬ 
ing to get them. 

Young Harris heard of a self-binder. As his 
father raised wheat, he kept on until he got one, 
year before last, and introduced it into this great 
plain, and now there are three self-binders near 
Baalbek. This young man is the hero of this whole 
country. People come to him for miles around to 
learn about machinery and agriculture. 



Photos by Miss Haller and Miss Breithaupt. 

The Abana River in Damascus. 

A STREET SCENE IN DAMASCUS. 

A view op the Mountains op Lebanon. 












CHAPTER XXIII 


The World’s Oldest City 

"CpOR three days I have been rambling through the 
oldest city in the world. I visited Damascus 
the first time just twenty years ago. Many changes 
have taken place during these years, but one thing 
is the same—yesterday, today, and forever, viz.: 
the smell. I recognized the odor before the train 
stopped, and I said to my traveling companions, “I 
know this is Damascus for no one can forget its 
smell.” It is the famous “fifty-seven varieties” all 
in one. 

Rome is spoken of as the “Eternal City,” but 
thousands of years before Remus and Romulus 
were fed by the she wolf, Damascus was perhaps 
as great and populous as it is today. 

Long before “King Tut” lived in Egypt, or even 
the Pyramids or Sphinx were built, Damascus was. 
Josephus says it was founded by Uz, the grandson 
of Noah. In fact, the only district which abounds 
in traditional associations with the antedeluvian 
patriarchs is very near Damascus. 

The Rivers of Damascus 

The city itself almost owes its existence to the 
Abana (Barada, as it is now called), River. It 
rises away in the mountains and flows through the 
heart of the city. A couple of blocks below my 
hotel, it seems to flow underground, and houses 
and shops are built over it. 



Wall at Damascus where Saul was let down in a basket. Photo by Bar D. Daly. 






















The City of Damascus 


181 


The Pharpar comes within seven miles of the 
city, and these two rivers flow to the east and make 
one of the richest and most fertile plains in all the 
world. The Abana loses itself in the sands of the 
desert, and is spoken of as the river that has neither 
source nor mouth; the Pharpar is almost the same. 

People here have always loved these rivers, for 
they are really life-giving streams. Were it not 
for them no one could live on this plain. This 
shows the significance of the statement of Naaman, 
the Syrian, who so proudly boasted of them when 
Elisha told him to go and dip himself in the river 
Jordan. See II Kings, 5:12. 

From the days when Abraham secured the serv¬ 
ices of Eliezer, of Damascus, this city has had some 
very active and industrious people. In fact, the 
name “Damascus” is made up from two words that 
when put together mean “renowned for activity.” 
In no Oriential city does one see so many people at 
work as here. 

The Street Called Straight 

Several times I have traversed the “Street called 
Straight” from end to end. It is about one mile in 
length, so narrow that in places two carriages can 
hardly pass each other. Mark Twain was not far 
from correct when he said it is about as straight as 
a corkscrew. He called attention to the fact that 
the Bible writer did not say it was a straight street, 
but a street called “Straight.” 

Twenty years ago I visited the so-called “House 
of Ananias,” and when I saw it again it was as 
though I had seen it but yesterday. Not a single 
change in anything in twenty years. Years ago a 
small Italian church was built over it. Perhaps 



Photos by John H. Hauberg. 

Reputed hiding place of St. Paul in Damascus. 

A STREET SCENE IN DAMASCUS. 

One of the finest streets in Damascus. 





























Wall Where Paul Escaped 


183 


fifty or sixty people can be crowded into it. To 
reach it one has to go down about twenty steps— 
it is a basement room. 

An interesting place is the room in the old city 
wall which is pointed out as the spot where Paul 
was let down from the wall in a basket. Some dis¬ 
tance away is pointed out a cave, or opening in the 
rocks, where tradition says he took refuge for the 
night. I don’t believe a word of it. I imagine 
Paul got out of the city long before morning. 


Man Can Only Enter Paradise Once 

Going up on the mountain side, I had a wonder¬ 
ful view of the entire city, which is the shape of a 
large spoon with a long handle. I can see the sig¬ 
nificance of the saying of Mohammed as he turned 
away from the city without entering, “For,” said 
he, “if I once set my foot in such an earthly para¬ 
dise, I shall have no desire left for the paradise 
of the hereafter; and man can only enter paradise 
once.” 

From the mountain side I had a good view of 
Hobah, where Abraham with his three hundred 
eighteen armed servants, overtook the armies of 
the five kings by a surprise night attack, and res¬ 
cued Lot and his family, with all the other captives, 
together with their goods. See Genesis 14:15. 

As far as the eye can see on this Plain of Damas¬ 
cus, or at least to the desert mountains many miles 
away, are the luxuriant and fruitful gardens of the 
villagers who sell their produce and fruit in the 
city. It is said that there are more than one hun¬ 
dred of these villages on this fertile plain around 
the city. 


184 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


The Fanatical Mohammedans 

Damascus has a population of nearly three hun¬ 
dred thousand people and four-fifths of them are 
Moslems. It is one of the most fanatical Moham¬ 
medan cities in the world. In the heart of the city 
is the great Mosque. There are seventy other large 
mosques and a hundred seventy-seven smaller 
mosques, sometimes called schools, in the city. 

The only one of these churches I have visited is 
the great central mosque. It was a place of wor¬ 
ship long before Mohammed was born. In the days 
of Naaman, the Syrian, it was called the “House of 
Rimmon,” to which he alluded in II Kings, 5:18. 
This “Rimmon” was the great god of the Syrians, 
and this was his temple. 

This temple was so richly adorned that Ahaz, 
King of Judah, was so struck with admiration when 
he visited it that he carried away some of the rich 
ornaments to add to the glories of the temple of 
Solomon in Jerusalem. 

About the beginning of the Christian era, the 
temple of Rimmon was destroyed by the Romans, 
and they erected on the spot a splendid “Temple of 
Jupiter.” This was in turn destroyed by the Chris¬ 
tians in the fifth century, who erected what was 
said to be a glorious Christian cathedral, which was 
for two hundred years the most famous Christian 
church building known. 

Made a Mosque of a Christian Church 

In the seventh century, the Mohammedans took 
it and changed it into a great mosque. They en¬ 
riched and embellished it with priceless jewels and 
mosiacs, but thirty years ago it was burned. The 
fire raged for eighteen hours, and only the church 


A Great Mohammedan Church 


185 


walls, blackened arches and great pillars were left. 

However, it was quickly rebuilt, and stands to¬ 
day as the greatest of all Moslem churches in the 
city. The great room is almost a hundred and fifty 
feet long and nearly half as wide. The floors are 
entirely covered with rugs, many of which are very 
fine. I was told that these were all donated by de¬ 
vout members of the faith. 

At night the interior of this mosque must be quite 
a sight. It is lighted up by electricity, but standing 
on either side of the various shrines are gigantic 
candles a foot in diameter and more than ten feet 
in height. These are all lighted at night, and will 
last a whole year. 

There is practically no place in the Moslem wor¬ 
ship for women and children. It is a man’s reli¬ 
gion. The men keep their hats on while they wor¬ 
ship. There are five calls for prayer every day. 
Friday is their Sunday. Many of them go to their 
mosques in the morning and open their places of 
business in the afternoon. 

Interesting Services on Sunday 

Sunday morning I attended services at the Angli¬ 
can church. Dr. McFarland is the minister. I ar¬ 
rived early and went in near the closing service for 
Syrians. The preacher at this service was a Syrian, 
and all seemed to be earnest worshippers. The 
attendance was quite large. 

Sunday afternoon I went to the Sunday school at 
the same church. It was a wonderful sight to see 
five hundred crowded into the service. This is one 
Sunday school where Christian and Jewish, Syrian 
and Armenian children work together. The Jew¬ 
ish girls sat together, the Syrian girls in another 



Photos by John H. Hauberg. 

Upper—Interior private home, Damascus. 

Center—Bread merchant on Damascus street. 

Lower—Damascus street scene. 













A Way to Avoid Trouble 


187 


group, and the boys of all nationalities sat on the 
other side of the room. 

I never heard more enthusiastic singing. While 
the Arabic language was used, of course, yet they 
have our tunes. The boys nearly raised the roof 
when they sang, “Yes, Jesus Loves Me,” etc., while 
the girls did almost as well with “Tell Me the Old, 
Old Story.” 

At the present time this country is practically 
under the French. I saw their areoplane base at 
Rayak. It is said when trouble breaks out in any 
community, the French send a couple of these 
aeroplanes over and drop a few bombs among the 
revolutionists, and the trouble is settled at once. 







The City of Athens. Photo by Miss Maude Parsons. 














CHAPTER XXIV 


Athens, the Religious City of Bible Times 

O NE of the most interesting cities of Bible was 
Athens. Also, from the standpoint of archi¬ 
tecture, dramatic art, literature, philosophy, ath¬ 
letics and in a dozen other ways, Athens is a great 
historic city. 

The natural landing place, or port city, is Pireaus, 
which is but a half dozen miles from Athens. At 
the present time it is all practically one city. On 
my first visit, I used the tram line from the port, 
but on a recent visit the automobile seemed to be 
the most practical. 

This latter occasion was on a holiday and the 
streets were crowded with people who were hold¬ 
ing some kind of a celebration. Conditions were 
rather critical and, on reaching the museum, sev¬ 
eral explosions were heard around the corner. Of 
course, I thought it was part of the day’s celebra¬ 
tion, yet I thought it strange that so many people 
were running. 

In the Midst of a Revolution 

Come to find out, this was a clash between some 
revolutionists and soldiers in the city. When the 
trouble-makers had gone so far and were com¬ 
manded to desist and refused, the soldiers fired 
upon them. While no one happened to be killed 
yet many were injured. This rather interferred 
with the sight-seeing of the day. 



Ruins of the Parthenon at Athens. Photo by Dar D. Daly 
















An Amusing Experience 


191 


Exciting as this scrimmage was, it was no more 
exciting than was my first visit to Athens years ago. 
Perhaps I can do no better than to tell of this former 
visit as I wrote it at that time. Of course, I wanted 
to visit the Royal Palace, but hardly know how to 
proceed, as at that time I could find no one who 
could speak English. On the wide walk in front 
were a number of armed guards and at the door 
two stood almost like statues. Not knowing about 
the manner of procedure, and being unable to find 
anyone who could give me proper information, I 
went up the walk hurriedly and, paying no atten¬ 
tion to the sentinels, just opened the door and 
walked in. 


An Amusing Experience 

The things that happened are amusing now, but 
they were anything but amusing at the time. The 
moment I stepped into the Palace two men grabbed 
me as though I were a robber. In a moment all 
was excitement. Ushers and other men seemed to 
be running in every direction. The men hustled 
me to a long seat and we all sat down, they holding 
to my arms. Everybody seemed to be talking at 
once; of course it was all Greek to me. 

Finally, a gentleman was brought by an usher 
who said, “Do you speak English, sir?” “Yes, sir, 
when I can find anybody to talk to,” was the reply. 
Speaking a few words to the men holding my arms, 
I was released, and this gentleman sat down and be¬ 
gan to ask questions thick and fast. The matter 
was soon cleared up with ample apologies on both 
sides. My passports, both United States and Turk¬ 
ish, and other documents and letters satisfied him 
and he personally spent an hour showing me 



Stadium at Athens. Photo by Dar D. Daly 














The Great Stadium 


193 


through the Royal Palace, even allowing me to go 
into the Throne room, which was the richest and 
most beautiful in the way of artificial decorations 
that it has ever been my pleasure to visit. 

The World-Famous Stadium 

Not far from the royal palace is the Stadium 
where the famous Grecian games and races took 
place. These were as popular as the great foot¬ 
ball or baseball games are today. Our modern 
football fields are largely modeled after the Sta¬ 
dium at Athens. This great, oval-shaped race 
course is nearly seven hundred feet long and about 
one-fourth as wide. There are sixty rows of seats, 
one almost above another, on three sides. Fifty 
thousand people could easily be accommodated. 

There is yet to be seen the tunnel, through which 
the defeated athletes retired after the games, and 
the stairway up which the victors went to the top 
where they were crowned with the laurel wreath. 
These games were clean and were attended by the 
best people. The Apostle Paul mentions them a 
half dozen times in his letters in the New Testa¬ 
ment. 

This great ruin has been largely restored by a 
rich man from Alexandria, Egypt. The almost 
endless rows of seats are made from beautiful 
white marble and the whole thing is most impres¬ 
sive. 

Not far from the Stadium is all that remains of 
the great Temple of Jupiter. This consists of fif¬ 
teen massive Corinthian columns and as I looked 
at them, could hardly realize that these were real 
columns rather than some old painting. The old 
days must have been great days to produce such 



Mars’ Hill at Athens. _ Photo by Miss Maude Parsons. 

















The World-Famous Acropolis 


195 


wonderful temples whose ruins we behold today. 
This is said to have been one of the largest temples 
of antiquity, and in it was a statue of Jupiter, sixty 
feet high, which was overlaid with ivory and gold. 

An Old Greek Theater 

Passing “Diogenes Lantern,” I next visited the 
Theatre of Bacchus, which has been called the 
“cradle of dramatic art.” On this stage Aeschylus, 
Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes, had their 
masterpieces presented. Plato says this theatre 
held thirty thousand specators, but the size of the 
ruins makes one doubt the word of this old philoso¬ 
pher. The Odeon of Herod Atticus was next 
visited. This is much smaller than the Theater of 
Bacchus, but was far more expensive, as it was 
built for the select “four hundred” rather than the 
common people. 

The above named ruins are at the foot of the 
world famous Acropolis. This is a great round 
hill, about two miles around the base, more than 
three hundred feet high with a flat top upon which 
are some of the most wonderful ruins to be seen 
anywhere. The sides are almost perpendicular, 
and it is impossible to go to the top except from 
one side. 

Ascending near the top of this wonderful hill or 
mountain on the side of the highway is a great rock, 
about twenty feet high, shaped somewhat like an 
egg, but with a flat top. A flight of twenty-five or 
more rude steps cut in the rock makes it possible 
to reach the top. This is called the Areopagus. 
Away back in prehistoric times the god Mars here 
attempted to justify murder and it took the name 
of Mars’ Hill. 



Photos by Miss Haller and Mr. Haubery. 

Ruins of a great amphitheater. 

Ruins of the Colosseum at Rome. 

Ruins of Theater of Bachus at Athens. 
































Paul on Mars’ Hill 


197 


Climbing Upon Mars’ Hill 

My! what memories the climbing of this hill in¬ 
spires! Here they used to hold open court and try 
the most desperate criminals. But the memory of 
this rock is made sacred by the great sermon 
preached by the Apostle Paul. Here the wiseacres 
of Athens, who spent their time trying to learn 
something new, gathered on that memorable day 
when the orator of New Testament fame made 
them “sit up and take notice.” He smashed their 
pet idols into smithereens and quoted their own 
poets and philosophers to prove they were deluded. 
Some of them mocked him, but as this little man 
climbed down these rock-cut steps, he left some¬ 
thing on Mars’ Hill that the world has not yet for¬ 
gotten. His work was not in vain, either, for 
Dionysius, the Areopagite, was converted and a lit¬ 
tle to the west of this hill is the foundation of a 
very ancient church which was dedicated to this 
first Athenian convert to Christianity. Saint Paul, 
they tell us, was physically weak and near-sighted, 
and I almost wondered how he got up and down 
those steps, for I found it very difficult, to say the 
least. 

The Wonderful Parthenon 

But of all the majestic ruins on earth, The Par¬ 
thenon stands out as one of the most wonderful. 
Some one has said that it is “that inimitable master¬ 
piece of antiquity, that eternal study, that eternal 
despair of the architects of all ages, of all coun¬ 
tries.” This natural fortress on which it stands 
used to be the residence of kings, and later was 
made a fort. Themistocles and Cimon surrounded 
it with massive walls and Pericles adorned it with 


198 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


magnificent edifices, the ruins of which excite the 
admiration of every visitor. 

Sitting upon a broken column, I had a wonderful 
view of Athens and the surrounding country, and 
also had a chance to test the truth of the saying, 
“There is a point in the atmosphere where all the 
sounds of the street mingle together into one har¬ 
monious tone.” , Before me, three hundred feet be¬ 
low, was spread out the city, and the rattle of the 
horses’ hoofs, the rumble of the cars, the shouts of 
the populace, the noise of the streets, these sounds 
all seemed to be like some wonderful tune played 
upon a great harp by a master hand. 

In crossing the country of Greece, I was amazed 
at its smallness. It is not half as large as Iowa. 
The canal across the Isthmus of Corinth is a very 
small affair—only four or five miles long and only 
small ships can pass through it. The ruins of old 
Corinth are not far away. A few broken columns 
are about all one can see from a distance. The 
preaching of the Apostle Paul in Greece and his 
letters to the people at Corinth have had a far 
greater influence on the world than all the con¬ 
quests of the warriors of this world-famous little 
country. 


CHAPTER XXV 


Rome, the Eternal City 

T3UT few cities on earth are more interesting 
than old Rome. My recent visit seemed more 
interesting than any other, although I saw many 
changes from what it was when I first visited the 
city twenty years ago. It is now a great modern 
city with splendid hotels, many beautiful streets 
and magnificent buildings. 

One of the show places of modern Rome is Saint 
Peter’s and the Vatican. I have rambled through 
this great church and the adjoining buildings and 
looked at the hundreds of paintings of master ar¬ 
tists until my eyes were tired of looking. Many al¬ 
ways try to get an audience with the Pope, but I 
have never been interested in seeing him. 

To me, it was far more interesting to ride down 
the world-famous Appian Way a few miles and 
then go down into the wonderful catacombs, where 
the early Christians used to hold their services and 
bury their dead. 

Meaning of the Forum 

The great center of the Eternal City used to be 
the Forum; this word means simply a “place out of 
doors.” This is one place I always enjoy seeing, 
for it is one of the most interesting places in the 
world. My! What memories cluster about the old 
Roman Forum! Today, it is the center of some of 
the most wonderful ruins on earth. Walking but 



Photos by Ourtis Glick, Theodore Smith and Gar D. Daly. 

The Colosseum at Rome. 

St. Peter’s Church—Rome. 

Tomb of Victor Immanuel—Rome. 
























The Golden Milestone 


201 


a few blocks from the heart of the modern city, I 
was literally surrounded by ruins which were glor¬ 
ious two thousand years ago. Here they were; 
temples, the great Arch of Titus, the Colosseum and 
a hundred other places, each of which inspires 
memories of long ago. 

In the center of this Forum used to be the Golden 
Milestone. This was not only the heart of the 
Eternal City, but was the center of Roman civiliza¬ 
tion. From this center, the great Roman roads 
radiated in all directions. A little later we will go 
down the “Appian Way.” This center, too, served 
as a gathering place where speeches were made on 
all sorts of subjects. Then it was turned into a 
great market place. Around this center were shops 
and schools and Roman courts. Here were money 
changers, gamblers and often great fist fights. 

In those days there were no newspapers and the 
Forum was visited to get the news, the results of 
the election, or the announcement of the events of 
the morrow. On the platform where the orators 
spoke, the crier would stand and with mighty voice 
give to the multitudinous throng the news of the 
day. Yonder, at the side, was a hut where a fire 
was kept continually burning, tended by young 
maidens. It was hard to get fire in those days when 
there were no matches, and here the daughters and 
wives of warriors came to get a spark to keep the 
home fires burning. 

The City on Seven Hills 

Now, I am standing on an elevated rock, trying 
to pick out the seven hills upon which the ancient 
city was built, or locate the old Tarpeian Rock; 
now, I am sitting on a broken column, living over 


202 Bible Lands 4s They Are Today 

the days when the great struggle for freedom from 
autocracy, not unlike the struggle of today, was on. 

The rich men were called Patricians and the poor 
men Plebeians. The rich men made the laws, 
loaned the money and lived in luxury, while the 
poor men tilled the soil, did the work and were 
the common soldiers. Often after fighting for his 
country the poor Plebeian would return, only to 
find his land seized and his home in ruins. Thus be¬ 
gan the great struggle between the common people 
and the autocrats. 

I almost imagined I could see that old wretched 
man, with chains clanking, as he walked into the 
Forum one day. His pinched face, his thin body, 
which was clothed in rags, his uncombed hair, his 
haggard look, showed the intensity of his suffering. 
Some one, thinking he recognized the old man, 
called attention to him and said, “Was not this man 
a brave soldier, Did he not serve Rome with honor. 
How has he come to such a pass.” 

A Striking Historic Incident 

Then the old man spoke, uncovering his breast 
and body, showing nearly a half hundred wounds; 
uncovering his back, the people saw welts and 
blood still flowing from freshly-made, cruel blows. 
He told the people how he had fought for Rome 
and returned home only to find his home in ashes, 
his cattle stolen, and his lands unjustly taxed; how 
he was compelled to borrow money from one of 
these rich Patricians, how he became ill and could 
not pay, and how he had been beaten, chained, and 
thrown in prison, from which he had just made his 
escape! 

The sad appeal of this old man stirred the blood 
of the common people against the Patricians, and 


The Temple of Agriculture 


203 


in the midst of the uproar, a horseman riding at 
full speed into the Forum announced that the 
enemy was at the gates of Rome. The call to arms 
was sounded, but the Plebeians refused to budge 
saying, “Let the powerful Patricians save Rome.” 
The rich were in desperate straits and hardly knew 
what to do. Soon the senators assembled, how¬ 
ever, acted quickly, and promised safety to families 
and homes of soldiers defending Rome. At this 
the Plebeians enrolled their names, fought valiantly 
and saved the city. 

The Temple of Agriculture 

My! If these stones could speak the whole world 
would stop to listen! Yonder stand the eight 
mighty columns—all that is left of the great Temple 
of Saturn. This was the oldest temple in the 
Forum and was dedicated to the god of agriculture. 
Beneath the temple was the Sacred Treasury, 
where the riches of the people were kept. Here 
originated the carnival—a feast which lasted seven 
days. It began in blood, as we are told that thirty 
human beings were offered as a sacrifice, and lights 
were kept burning around the tomb. During this 
feast all people stood equal, and joyous freedom 
ruled the hour. “Slaves were waited upon by their 
masters, prisoners were set at liberty, criminals 
were often pardoned and no battles were fought 
during that happy time.” 

The Arch of Titus 

A most imposing ruin is the Arch of Titus, which 
was erected to commemorate the taking of Jeru¬ 
salem. The bas-reliefs on this Arch represent the 
spoils of the Temple; the seven-branch golden can- 



Ruins of the Roman Forum. Photo by Bar D. Daly. 
















The Mamertim Prison 


205 


dlestick, the golden table, the Ark and other spoils. 
These treasures, taken from the temple, were kept 
in the Temple of Peace, which has been entirely 
destroyed. A tradition says that these sacred 
spoils which were taken from the temple in Jerusa¬ 
lem were finally thrown into the river Tiber to 
keep them from falling into the hands of enemies. 

Of course, I went down into the old Mamertine 
prison, where St. Paul was incarcerated. The 
opening at the top of this dungeon reminds one of 
a manhole above a sewer. The dungeon itself re¬ 
minds one of a gigantic ink bottle about fifteen feet 
in diameter and seven feet deep. In the old days, 
the only opening was at the top and prisoners were 
simply thrown in. There is a seat of rock about 
two feet high on a small shelf in the rock about 
four feet high. There was a subterranean passage 
from the dungeon to the Forum so that the prisoner 
could be taken direct from prison to trial. 

I almost shuddered as I entered this dismal place. 
Now, one can go down a stairway by the side and 
enter the prison. Here Paul spent so many lonely 
hours, but out of this prison came some of the best 
letters that were penned by mortal man, and which 
are now read daily wherever the Bible is known. 

The Roman Colosseum 

But one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all 
ruins is the Colosseum. This is one of the most 
amazing miracles of architecture on earth, cover¬ 
ing about five acres of ground. It is what you 
might say four stories high, but the structure tow¬ 
ered one hundred eighty feet above the ground. 
The first three have great entering arches. There 
are eighty of these arches to each story. There 


206 Bible Lands As They Are Today 

were eighty-seven thousand seats and fifteen thou¬ 
sand more could be accommodated by standing. 
Seats were numbered and checks were given which 
were not unlike checks given in our theaters today. 
It was built nineteen hundred years ago; it has 
been shaken repeatedly by earthquakes; lightning 
bolts have ploughed into its walls; invader’s hands 
have despoiled and devastated it; cannon have 
been turned upon it; storms and floods and fire 
have engulfed it, but it stands today, majestically, 
like a mountain peak on the highway of the ages. 

The arena covers nearly fifty thousand square 
feet. Beneath were the subterranean vaults where 
the wild beasts were kept. Yonder is the door 
where they were admitted to the arena. There 
was another passage through which the dead bodies 
of the gladiators and others were dragged away. 
This was called the gate of death. A wall, eleven 
feet high, protected the spectators. Above this 
was the place of honor reserved for the emperor, 
the vestal virgins and the senators. The first tier 
of seats above was for knights, tribunes and their 
families. Still above, there were certain tiers re¬ 
served for the soldiers and above them the common 
people, the men being separated from the women. 
One can still see some of the places where the mov¬ 
able cover was fastened, as the whole thing was 
sometimes covered with an awning to keep out sun¬ 
shine and rain. 

The Great Gladiatorial Contests 

Many different times I have gone to see this vast 
ruin. I almost imagined I could see the contests 
between man and beast. At the dedication, which 
lasted a hundred days, they tell us that nine thou- 


The Last Gladiatorial Contest 207 

sand beasts and three thousand men fought in a 
horrible death struggle. The arena was a lake of 
blood. Then, in imagination, I could see the flood 
gates opened and the water was soon many feet 
deep. Then came the boats, and men fought to 
death in a struggle as in a great sea fight. 

But the saddest of all scenes that took place in 
this arena must have been the times when hun¬ 
dreds of men, women and children were brought 
in, singing the songs of Zion, when the gates were 
opened and hundreds of ferocious wild beasts tore 
their bodies limb from limb and feasted upon their 
flesh and blood! While the jaws of the beasts 
crunched the bodies of the helpless, their screams 
were drowned by the clapping of hands and cheers 
of the thousands in the seats! 

A Noble Sacrifice 

Then, I tried to call to mind the last gladiatorial 
contest ever held in this weird place. As usual, 
the great Colosseum was crowded and the bands 
discoursed music that brought many cheers. The 
fountains were opened and the air was filled with 
the odors of heliotrope and frankincense. As 
usual, the gladiators marched around to the em¬ 
peror’s box and facing him said, “We who are 
about to die, salute you!” Finally, when the con¬ 
test was near the close, two stalwart gladiators 
were battling alone, each trying to kill the other. 

All at once, high up among the common people, 
a man jumped from his seat, ran over to the end 
and into the aisle. Down he ran to the very tier 
of seats occupied by the emperor, and, leaping 
down over the eleven foot wall he separated the 
gladiators. The people were so mad that they 


208 


Bible Lands As They Are Today 


killed the man who interferred with their sport on 
the spot. But the next day Rome woke up, so they 
tell us, and an edict came forth which ordered the 
gladiatorial contests discontinued forever. True, 
that man, Telemachus was his name, lost his life, 
but by his noble sacrifice, multiplied thousands of 
lives were saved. 






























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